Few artists are more eloquent writing about their own music than Tycho. In an era when we wonder if the person whose name is on the label had fuck all to do with the record in their name, the last few years of Scott Hansen’s career have been a study in The Art of Letting Go for an artist who once did nearly everything. Over that time – from roughly the period just prior to the release of his album Awake – the Tycho project has evolved from a producer alone in a room of machines and diodes to a full band. He still does the artwork in a style that has no shortage of imitators and I suspect most of the copy about Tycho’s latest shift in direction was written by Hansen too.
It was actually the writing and the art that drove me to discover Tycho a decade ago; only later did I figure out where the music fit in. It’s not EDM but EDM people like it; it isn’t easy listening or yacht rock but draws a lot from them. Propelled from standard IDM electronica into a very odd sort of “pop” music, Tycho’s latest album Weather marks the latest but probably not final transition from producer to instrumental band to a vocal ensemble, adding the human voice (“grounded in humanity,” in Hansen’s words) to what had until now been a uniquely instrumental affair.
Weather is out now, and Tycho is back on the road performing it – in Chicago on September 15 at the Riviera, per 5 Mag’s calendar of local events. If you’ve seen them recently, Hansen is promising they have “rebuilt + redesigned almost every element of the show”:
Tour is almost here! With the help of an amazing team we’ve rebuilt + redesigned almost every element of the show for this next run. It’s been both challenging + rewarding to work through this process + it feels like a rebirth. Beyond excited to share this with you all 🌞 pic.twitter.com/PlgAbPRr7C
— TYCHO (@ISO50) September 4, 2019
More dates through September 2019, mostly with Poolside opening:
September 5: Greek Theatre (Los Angeles)
September 6: Greek Theatre (Berkeley, CA)
September 7: Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall (Portland, OR)
September 8: Paramount Teatre (Seattle)
September 11: Mission Ballroom (Denver, CO)
September 13: Palace Theatre (St. Paul, MN)
September 14: The Sylvee (Madison, WI)
September 15: Riviera Theatre (Chicago)
September 16: Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (Toronto)
September 18: Wang Theatre/Boch Center (Boston, MA)
September 19: Summerstage, Central Park (New York City)
September 20: Franklin Music Hall (Philadelphia)
September 21: Resonance Music & Arts Festival (Slippery Rock, PA)
September 23: The Fillmore (Detroit, MI)
September 24: Express Live! (Columbus, OH)
September 26: The Pageant (St. Louis, MO)
September 27: CrossroadsKC (Kansas City, MO)