Thanks to our dear friends over at Magnum PR, we had the great pleasure of watching Ki: Theory, a.k.a Joel Burleson, perform this past weekend at Bowery Ballroom. You may already be familiar with Ki: Theory from his stellar remix of The Son of Flynn off Daft Punk's Tron: Reconfigured album or perhaps from his work with UNKLE and Queens of the Stone Age. However, there is much more to the Richmond, VA native's sound than his remix work. Through an original and inventive cut-n-paste approach to music, Ki: Theory creates an organic refreshing new brand of electronica. That brand covers a wide range of sounds from the perfectly lo-fi to the heart bumping stomp out anthem, all with just the right touch of an experimental vibe. (Compare videos below: "I Wanna Run" vs. "KITTY HAWK" played to a live performance).
Then there is the live performance aspect of Ki: Theory. An experience far from the too many electronic artists who hide behind their equipment and demand we enjoy the sounds produced. Ki: Theory is driven to please his crowd by creating a unique moment, never stopping once his feet touch the stage. As a member of the audience, you cant help but feel as if Ki is playing from within the crowd and always from the heart. The words dynamic, stimulating, and intimate came to mind as we watched a hungry up and comer put it all on the line in front of a sold out ballroom. To get a taste, check out our photo coverage of Ki: Theory live at Bowery Ballroom.
To top it off, all of Ki: Theory's original music, including his latest single I Wanna Run (video below), can be downloaded for free directly through the Ki: Theory website. Of course this includes his last official EP Arms For Legs, and his debut album Brittle Branches. Also take a minuet to check out Ki's TRON mixtape, which can be streamed and downloaded directly from Ki: Theory's Soundcloud page.
