International Female Producers
Beatmakers and sound shapers from Taiwan to Down Under
By Dan Gentile, Fri., March 16, 2018
Ruby Fatale
Mon. 12, Elysium, 9pm; Thu. 15, 3ten ACL Live, 9pm
Doom emanates from this Taiwanese composer as broken glass samples shatter over dissonant strings and damaged drums. It's propulsive music, aggressive and confrontational, then suddenly pastoral in a way that feels distinctly Eastern. Expect immersive visuals, and bring ear plugs.
Lali Puna
Tue. 13, the Main II, 7pm; Wed. 14, Highland Lounge, 12mid; Fri. 16, International Day Stage, Austin Convention Center, 2pm
Valerie Trebeljahr's longevity deserves a round of applause. Active since 1998, the Korean vocalist took a hiatus to focus on journalism but re-formed her minimal electro-pop trio in 2017 to release Two Windows, a slice of Ms. John Soda-style IDM.
BP Valenzuela
Tue. 13, Iron Bear, 11pm
Hailing from the Philippines, this 22-year-old singer took up analog beatmaking as a college freshman. Sparse R&B rhythms whiff spliff smoke as Rhodes melodies drift into reverb trails while BP's reflective vocals sizzle like SZA.
Ryan Playground
Wed. 14, Sidewinder Inside, 9pm
RP's bedroom ballads blend the softer side of oscillators. Where her peers allow boom bap drums to do the talking, the Montrealer puts the rhythm track in the backseat as punctuation to her confessional, delay-drenched vocals. Fans of now-vintage electronica master Dntel will appreciate her patience.
Hoodlem
Thu. 15, Sidewinder Inside, 1:15am
Lorde alert! Toronto-by-way-of-Melbourne diva-in-the-making Tessa Pavilach channels the same disaffected, introspective mix of hooks and beats, and may be next in line for Oceania pop royalty with Spotify hits "Golden" and "Old Friend."
Museless
Fri. 16, CU29, 8pm
This one-woman show from Barcelona composes electronic symphonies pulled in 10 directions at once, a classical piano giving way to booming kicks and rave synth stabs. Fans of idiosyncratic electro-auteurs like Grimes take note: Laura Llopart may be Museless, but she isn't low on inspiration.
Girl Ultra
Fri. 16, Maggie Mae's, 10pm
Mexican R&B hasn't yet gotten much attention, but wait until you hear Nan de Miguel. Her Latin flip of Drake's "One Dance" almost ups the original, but the snaking basslines and sexy, atmospheric synth pads of her original tunes transcend mimicry with her CDMX Spanish.
Alice Ivy
Fri. 16, Lucille, 11pm
Meet the 24-year-old Aussie beatmaker whose tracks slither and bite like a bad Crocodile Dundee joke. Expect Dilla-style drums and dusty samples à la the Avalanches, but with enough pop appeal to earn "Touch" a milli Spotify plays.
Cifika
Fri. 16, Belmont, 11:10pm
Drums jitter like a dub version of Disclosure then vanish under Yousun Cho's voice, pivoting on a dime between seductive Korean crooning and assertive English swagger. You'll play bubblegum pop instrumental "Emoji Love" on repeat.
Da Chick
Sat. 17, Iron Bear, 9pm
Take the dance-floor lubrication of Chromeo's early beats, mix with sing-along rapping reminiscent of Mary J. Blige, and you've got Teresa de Sousa, a Lisbon Chick with one foot in Eighties electro-funk and the other in Nineties hip-hop. Opening stints for Earth, Wind & Fire and Maceo Parker make sense.
Surma
Tue. 13, the Main, 10:20pm; Sat. 17, Hideout, 9pm
Débora Umbelino crafts Portuguese bloody valentines, howling noise broken up by synthetic diversions and whispered vocals.