What should you get that persnickety music fan in your life? Or what should you get to help expand the musical horizons of a good friend? We are here to help with our 2016 Liquid Music Holiday Gift Guide!
Does everybody you know have tickets to upcoming Liquid Music concerts? There are still five amazing projects left in our current season! Single tickets are available on our website or you can order a Create Your Own Series over the phone, giving substantial savings when you purchase tickets to three or more concerts.
Besides concert tickets, many past and future Liquid Music artists have released new projects in 2016. Some key releases include:
Vicky Chow, A O R T A
Pianist Vicky Chow plays electro-acoustic works from six contemporary composers.
Eighth Blackbird, Hand Eye
Hand Eye transports us to a Soul-studded jam session (Ted Hearne), the buzzing contagion of an internet meme (Andrew Norman), a high-velocity adventure-ride (Robert Honstein), a shimmering yet blinding landscape (Christopher Cerrone), the flickering and pulsing of ink on paper (Timo Andres), and a warm but tattered beauty (Jacob Cooper).
Daniel Wohl, Holographic
A Liquid Music commissioned album, released to critical acclaim this year.
Jace Clayton, Uproot: Travels in 21st-Century Music and Digital Culture
In his book, Jace Clayton aka DJ Rupture examines the boundaries of music and technology across cultures. With humor, insight, and expertise, Clayton illuminates the connections between a Congolese hotel band and the indie-rock scene, Mexican rodeo teens and Israeli techno, and Whitney Houston and the robotic voices in rural Moroccan song, and offers an unparalleled understanding of music in the digital age.
For the young music lover, consider The Life of James Dewitt Yancey. This children's book about the life of the hip hop artist better known as J Dilla is boldly illustrated and conveys the joys of both music-making and listening.
For someone looking to expand their horizons in music, Ben Ratliff's Every Song Ever provides a primer on how to better find music that you love in a world where our choices are so overwhelming. Ratliff eloquently and simply writes about basic characteristics of music in way that can increase our understanding and appreciation of more complex music. As a bonus, there are listening recommendations at the end of each chapter (and an associated Spotify playlist) to make the reading much more fun!
For someone looking to make some innovative music on their own, consider a melodica, an EBow, or music-making software such as or Logic Pro X.
If your friend loves music of the season, consider Phil Kline's Unsilent Night, a fun document of an offbeat holiday tradition and a unique spin on holiday music, emphasizing community and connection.
And if records, books, or instruments aren't your thing, Liquid Music curator Kate Nordstrum recommends some new attire for concerts (or a night on the town) from Cliché, an uptown boutique.
Photo courtesy Cliche.