Yesterday at the Austin Convention Center, Rolling Stone supervising producer Delisa Shannon, Consequence contributing editor Mary Siroky, and London's Times pop and rock critic Will Hodgkinson sat down to discuss finding fertile ground between music journalism's over-glorified past and its (thankfully) expanding future. – Kriss Conklin The Rise, Fall, and Sweet Spot of the Music Press Lulu and Angel ended 35 zany minutes in the rain with an unreleased track reminiscent of early aughts nightcore mixes, bearing increased vocal pitches and twinkling synthwork before a surprise outfit change initiated one final wave of ferocious dissonance. Most striking was Frost Children's hilariously stoic response to Weezer's "Undone - The Sweater Song,” instead lyrically focused on Jack Harlow's (currently nonexistent) Sweetgreen bowl. The orange- and silver-haired pair also teased a handful of songs from upcoming album SPEED RUN, out April 14. Standouts "MAYFLY" and "SNAIL'S PACE" evoked Korn-level muddiness and pop-punk pep, respectively, while taunting "FOX BOP" paid homage to the 2000s toy, Bop It. As the outdoor crowd occasionally struggled to gauge the beginnings and ends of each track, temporary confusion barely made a dent in the performers' glitching, guitar-laden soundscapes. Siblings Lulu and Angel Prost’s shared deadpan humor worked as silly, nonsensical segues between songs. In the midst of yesterday's FLOODfest at Mohawk (pun intended), Brooklyn duo Frost Children effortlessly roused a hydrophobic 1pm crowd with scream/sing duets, discordant melodies, and pounding bass lines. Of all who have tried to get me to listen to hyperpop, I didn’t expect two smartly dressed, Victorian child lookalikes to emerge victorious in the genre crusade. – Dan Gentile Frost Children’s Hyperpop Homage to Bop It and Sweetgreen It was an insightful celebration of a man and his music, but really just an introduction – those interested in the more complicated and controversial parts of his legacy should dig into Dilla Time. J Rocc geeked out about watching Dilla sample drums, and everyone chimed in with awe about his technical mastery of the MPC3000. Peanut Butter Wolf shared his reaction to hearing the first CD demo of Donuts in his car. DJ Jazzy Jeff remembered cheesesteaks and record digging in Philly. Ma Dukes lovingly told stories of Dilla dancing to James Brown in his playpen, and how he had perfect pitch at two months old. A SXSW panel re-created the myths and magic of that book, featuring Dilla collaborators Peanut Butter Wolf, J Rocc, and DJ Jazzy Jeff, in conversation with Dilla’s mother Ma Dukes and moderator Asya Shein (Dilla’s former manager). Last year, the exhaustive 480-page biography Dilla Time explored the secrets to his signature swung production style it also shared fanfic style stories about Dilla making a beat called “The Matrix” the night he watched the film in a Detroit theater alongside Questlove (or was it Common?). Since his death in 2006, hip-hop producer J Dilla has become one of the most revered musicians across any genre. – Julian Towers J Dilla Panel Writes Fanfic for Hip-Pop Heads Taking the stage in a shiny silver jacket and toting a duffle to match (the contents of which remain a very Pulp Fiction mystery), the rapper spent his set canvasing the Moody stage in an endless back-and-forth pace – a looping, hypnotic march that matched the slur of his narcotizing nasal croon in sheer rhythmic trance. “I just got out yesterday, better turn up!” And while that’s not literally true (he got out in January), there was, until that point, no indication that Greedo viewed his own cool-and-in-command performance as anything out of the ordinary. “Y’all know I’m on TikTok? I ain’t even seen that shit,” snarled the L.A. Certainly the artist in question wasn’t gonna place nearly as much emphasis on himself. Sure, the dashed prospect of the onetime rapper’s full-band Moody Amphitheater reinvention will probably forever remain a tantalizing proposition for South By scholars (*Lil Yachty “Poland” voice* “ I TOOK THE RA-AI-AIN TO ABut in elevating the first show of 35-year-old living legend 03 Greedo since 2018 to accidental headlining performance, those winds of chance also made sure his recent release following four and a half years in Texas prison didn’t go uncelebrated. Maybe it’s for the best Lil Yachty didn’t get his rock star moment. 03 Greedo at the Moody Amphitheater (photo by John Anderson)
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