Artist Spotlight - Morgan Geist
It’s probably not a coincidence that Morgan Geist’s July 13th return to Smartbar comes only days after the new Storm Queen track, “Let’s Make Mistakes”, drops on vinyl via Geist’s own Environ label. This single is the third for Storm Queen, the collaboration between Geist and NYC subway performer Damon C Scott, and its reputation precedes it; Storm Queen debut “Look Right Through” was generally agreed upon as one of the top tracks of 2010, and after being licensed to Defected Records earlier this year, got remix treatments by legends like Dimitri From Paris, MK, Jamie Jones and Aeroplane.
The strong probability of hearing “Let’s Make Mistakes”, with its bouncy, funky bassline, warm synth chords and Scott’s gorgeous vocals on the Smartbar soundsystem is reason enough to come out for his set. As a producer, Geist is a notorious perfectionist, be it as a solo artist or in the disco duo Metro Area. He’s spoken before about his habit of throwing out 80 to 90% of the original tracks he produces, and also about his distaste for modern dance music that is overly compressed and without much subtlety. But don’t let his distinctively dour interview persona rain on your parade; his dj sets are guaranteed to be a funky good time.
His DJ prowess is matched by few others, with a compliation for Fabric and nearly equally as captivating mixes for Resident Advisor, Beats In Space Radio, and We Make It Good. You can safely expect retro jams, hidden gems, and an overall memorably fresh take on classic dance music sounds.