No Masterpiece

No Masterpiece

Visit Mason Bates’s website and you’re faced with a choice right off the bat: electronica or classical. I imagine this decision is a cinch for some, but what if classical is your cup of tea just as much as electronica is your shot of vodka and Red Bull? Looks like your mouse is going to… Read more »

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NewMusicBox Staff

Visit Mason Bates’s website and you’re faced with a choice right off the bat: electronica or classical. I imagine this decision is a cinch for some, but what if classical is your cup of tea just as much as electronica is your shot of vodka and Red Bull? Looks like your mouse is going to get a workout toggling between pages, but it’s worth the effort to see how one genre informs the other. On the classical page you’ll find an acoustic mashup of Beethoven’s 9th, and along with the excerpt of the Ludwig-laden Ode are a couple more MP3s to checkout. Navigate over to the electronica portion of the site and be greeted by a less introspective, slightly more pimped-out photo of Bates in a sporty red windbreaker. Here the MP3s showcase intricately constructed tracks with a slight jazz lounge vibe. The track “No Masterpiece” actually sounds more like classic Michael Torke from his “color music” days, rather than something you’d here spinning in a club. But no matter, just enjoy the free samples.

—RN