Eoto Bumps One-of-a-Kind Dubstep in Boston

EOTO peforming live at Royale Boston | Photo by Maya Jimenez

Hippies and ravers united at EOTO‘s October 7th show at Royale Boston to experience their signature dubstep-infused electro. However, what you might not realize about the Colorado duo’s seamless sets is that all of their original productions are 100 percent improvised live. Seriously.

See more of Maya’s photos from EOTO’s concert here.

You could say that they’re the electronic equivalent of a “jam band,” except for the fact that jam bands are only playing intruments and aren’t actually improv-ing music production live on stage. Literally insane. As you can see from the photo above, Michael Travis and Jason Hann almost get lost in their stage set up, which boasts five Macbook Pros, a full drum kit, some guitars and other live instruments, a couple iPads and a plethora of synthesizers and mixing boards.

Michael Travis of EOTO | Photo by Maya Jimenez

With extensive careers as professional musicians, the two came together to brand their breed of ambient dubstep in 2006, forming what I can only describe as some kind of insane cosmic fusion of musical compatibility. So often bands clash over “creative differences,” but Travis and Hann seem to have some kind of telepathic groove that they work off of to produce their improvised, off-the-cuff electro.

What they do on stage can only be described as awe-inspiring: the audience gets to watch the artists at work, getting a peek into the creative process from recording raw loops off of live instuments to the final piece, which EOTO seamlessly blends into the next one. It almost sounds too unbelieveable to be real (and I wouldn’t say I was even completely on board with the idea until I witnessed it myself), but there is something other-worldly about the duo’s musical relationship that just makes it work.

What’s most impressive about their show, though, is that none of what they do sounds improvised – and that level of quality only comes from honest skills.

Want to see (and hear) it for yourself? Check out some of my concert footage below, featuring a cameo from a swagged-out rave dragon around 1:15.

EOTO offers live recordings of most of their shows on their official website, as well as tour dates, tour videos and more. Check them out online at www.eotomusic.org.

Will you be hitting up EOTO’s fall tour? What’s your favorite electronic act?