Random Rab + saQi

Images by Big Funk Photography

Random Rab and saQi played Wednesday night at the Charleston Pour House as a stop on their North American Tour 2015, each artist performing as a solo act.

saQi, which is a Sufi name for “mystic muse,” brought his own genre of music to the table to kick off the night. Hailing from Nevada City, CA, saQi is signed with Jumpsuit Records, The Polish Ambassador’s label. A classically trained composer, trumpet player, and producer, saQi drew in quite the crowd with his uniquely textured electronic tunes. He played nothing but deep, funky jams, and further solidified his growing reputation. Having DJed/produced sets at massive music festivals like Lightning in a Bottle and Coachella, his opening set was full of raw talent in the tiny venue of the Charleston Pour House, with little distractions or props on stage and minimal lighting.

After the crowd thouroughly got down a bit, multi-instrumentalist, singer, and producer Random Rab, who emerged from the West Coast electronic music scene, took the stage. Signed with Psymbolic multimedia label, his fan base has spread like wildfire from when it first developed out of the San Francisco underground. Attempting to explain the distinctiveness of his sound is difficult, coming from a man who “has been the front man of a heavy metal country music band, was a scratch DJ for a jazz fusion project, was the singer for a rock band in Mexico and has collaborated with countless musicians of all styles.” His layered and uplifting psychedelically melodic music was amplified by his refreshingly different approach to lighting. Scattered all over the stage were incandescent light bulbs, which produced a warm, inviting light as they flickered to the music. Haing toured with Bassnectar, Shpongle, and Beats Antique, Random Rab owes his current popularity in part to his experiences with these successful artists, the triumph of his 2004 breakout album The Elucidation of Sorrow, and also to his notorious sunrise sets at Burning Man. He has topped electronic charts and seems to be showing no sign of slowing down. The musical sophistication and depth of craftmanship of these two artists is something worthy of mention. It is hard to find artists these days that can balance quality mixing with original production, and these two certainly have found a way to do just that. And it was just in time, because I needed a little West Coast flavor in my life!