Instrument-brandishing rock classicists versus EDM producers: it's almost a cliche to talk about how they can't agree on much these days.

Still, certain bands bridged the divide between electronic and acoustic dance music years ago, and some of them continue to mine the best practices of both camps. The members of Lotus, who'll be at Toad's Place in New Haven on Jan. 29, came together at Indiana's Goshen College in the late '90s playing jamtronica, a cyborg-fusion of jazz-funk vamps, shifting tempos and level dynamics.

"Germination," Lotus' 2003 live album for Harmonized Records, combined the guitar-led modal jams of their improv-rock forebears with twitchy, rave-like, ambient textures and occasionally elevated BPMs. It was a departure from the tension/release framework practiced by fellow explorers; they seemed intent on establishing a vibe and staying there, improvising around it without gratuitous peaks and valleys: euphoric minimalism, in a scene built on expressionistic displays of virtuosity.

But Lotus also got close to remixers, producers, DJs and other knob-twiddlers. "Copy/Paste/Repeat," released in 2007, was an album of Lotus remixes by Lymbyc Systym, Juan Maclean, DJ Harry and Telepath. Last year, "Gilded Age," their newest album, compiled six original tracks with four of them remixed by Kilowatts, D.V.S., Marley Carroll and Skytree.

"For me, those remixes are a separate thing," said bassist/sampler Jesse Miller. "On the vinyl album, it's six songs and those four bonus songs. We just let them run with it and send us a track, and maybe we'd give some minor feedback. The whole reason is because we think it pushes the music forward. They all did a good job of bringing their own voice to it."

"Gilded Age" is the band's first album of original songs since 2013's "Build." It was recorded in Philadelphia with Jonathan Low, known for his work with the National and the War on Drugs, and features vocals by Steve Yutzy-Burkey on three tracks. As usual, it was recorded live onto analog tape with organic instruments: guitar, piano, bass, piano and percussion.

The band takes advantage of what studios can offer: overdubs, sounds that aren't easily reproduced live, and so on. At one point during recording sessions, Miller hired a string section to play a part he'd written; live, he triggers a sample. "That's our workaround," he said.

In support of "Gilded Age," Lotus is embarking on their most intense tour in years, playing five or six shows a week through the beginning of March and stretching to the West Coast. The venues are intimate, but audiences, perhaps buoyed by an interest in contemporary EDM, are responding.

"I think one of the major factors [in a show's success] is the energy we get back from the crowd," Miller said. "If they're really feeling us, it becomes this feedback loop. The main thing about a tour like this is you can get really exhausted But if you have a good crowd, no matter how you feel, it's an adrenaline rush."

Being around for almost two decades has its advantages; Lotus' recent New Year's run five shows found them performing more than 85 unique songs. They'll perform even more on this tour. They read the crowd and shape-shift, from rock to dance and back. "Every show we try to bring in a variety: longer improv, really tight compositions, the rock element, the dance element." And a tour like this one brings out the best in their group flights. "The easiest thing is to go back to your set patterns [of improvisation]. Sometimes it takes a long tour to push yourself into new territory."

Originally posted here:

Lotus Brings Its Cyborg Fusion To New Haven