In Focus brings you a talented upcoming artist that has earned a spot on our radar. We’re scoping out these rising stars from every city, style, and scene.
IN FOCUS: Robert DeLong
WHO IS ROBERT DELONG? A 27 year-old one-man band.
HAILING FROM? The suburbs of Seattle.
DIG IT IF YOU LIKE? Miike Snow, The Postal Service
WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? The real question is, how could you NOT care about a passionate, musical prodigy that uses game controllers as a plug-in to enhance his music? Robert DeLong has already been named one of MTV’s 2013 Artists to Watch, along with the likes of Zedd and the Weeknd, so you know he’s worth looking at.
In fact, his performance is impossible to avoid. Face-painted DeLong incorporates drums, guitar, keys, MIDI, laptops and even joysticks into his live shows. If you muted DeLong he might remind you of a DIY-video-gaming-performance-artist, but his advanced electronic noises make him totally legitimate.
DeLong’s 12-song “electronic rock & roll” album “Just Movement” dropped in early February and has received a wave of positive feedback so far, landing him a ton of appearances and radio play. So pick up the album on iTunes, and tell us if he made you dance.
UPCOMING: You’ll be seeing much more of that big orange X in 2013 during festival season. DeLong will be appearing at Ultra, Coachella, SXSW, Governor’s Ball, Popscene SF and Sasquatch!, just to name a few.
GET INTO IT: DeLong may very well represent what the future sounds like, with his Ben Gibbard-esque voice and tribal sounds. Watch him test his mic with social media network titles below.