This Thursday night the electro-pop duo known as Sleigh Bells and the brilliant DJ AraabMuzik will unquestionably be sending shockwaves through the walls of the Majestic Theatre. These budding artists have spent the past few years using their talents to establish themselves and garner wide praise, Sleigh Bells with their heavy electric guitar riffs combined with fuzzy melodic vocals and AraabMuzik with his unmatched skills and speed on a Media Production Center (MPC). After the release of Sleigh Bells’ second album, Reign of Terror, the two artists have teamed up and taken to the road, ready to show-off their wares.
In 2008, a serendipitous conversation between a waiter and a patron at a Brazilian bistro in Brooklyn served as the introduction of Sleigh Bells’ guitarist and producer Derek Miller to the band’s lead singer Alexis Krauss. Having recently broken ties with his all-male heavy metal/punk band, Derek Miller was waiting tables while attempting to launch a new project involving his collaboration with a female vocalist. Miller mentioned this to part-time singer Krauss who, fortunately for the rest of us, just so happened to be interested. Two years later, the duo released a first album, Treats, that swept critics up in a whirlpool of prominent electric guitar, muffled female vocals, gritty electronic sound, and raw unadulterated energy. Since then, Sleigh Bells has been on the national radar, having featured songs on Windows Phone commercials, and playing at Coachella and on Saturday Night Live.
Earlier this year, the duo released their second album, darkly titled Reign of Terror, which was strongly influenced by Miller’s family tragedies in the recent past, including his father’s fatal motorcycle accident and his mother’s diagnosis with cancer. This frustration and negativity show through in the sound, lyrics, and themes of their new album. Tracks like “Demons” and “True Shred Guitar” channel this intensity while others like “Comeback Kid” and “End of the Line” express something closer to the cathartic release of letting go. Reign of Terror represents a new stage in the band’s evolution, fusing Sleigh Bells’ furious and energetic sound with deep personal meaning.
AraabMuzik, known offstage as Abraham Orellana, has been producing music since his childhood in Rhode Island where he had no more than some basic drums and a keyboard to work with. He’s come a long way since those days, and his tools have as well. Although he occasionally still performs with his drum kit and keyboard, Orellana’s aptitude on an MPC is his primary means of dropping jaws. Orellana has collaborated with numerous artist including Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes, making AraabMuzik a growing name in the DJ community. Cranking out complex, polyrhythmic, and smoothly flowing live beats with nothing but intense concentration and a rapid tapping of his fingers on his MPC, it’s difficult to comprehend the intricacies of his musical sorcery.
It’s perfectly reasonable to be downright giddy about the touring combination of Sleigh Bells and AraabMuzik. With Sleigh Bells’ feel good tracks like “Comeback Kid” and “Rill Rill” versus their frenzied riot-inducing tracks like “Demons,” “Treats,” and “Riot Rhythm,” the only predictable outcome is a raise in heart rate and waves upon waves of euphoria. The music of each of these artists is chock-full of power and intensity, and if they can bring this energy to their live performance, Madisonians can expect a heavy dose of musical adrenaline.