In 2013 Michael Collins, the mastermind of Drugdealer, decided to change the trajectory of his music making. The past had seen experimentation in abstract and speculative sound collages, under various pseudonyms; Run DMT and Salvia Plath, while based in Baltimore, Maryland.
Moving to Los Angeles, where Collins is now based, Drugdealer began a new style of music making that is more ‘traditional’. Teaching himself how to write songs, but remaining faithful to collage and the atmospheric, psychedelic sounds he had become known for, he came at this new project from the perspective of a listener; his ears guiding him like a spirit animal, into two lucid and introspective albums.
Crafted over three years, Drugdealers debut The End of Comedy (2016), sees collaborations with Ariel Pink, Natalie Mering of Weyes Blood and Jackson MacIntosh of TOPS. Tracks on the album – ‘Sea of Nothing’, ‘Easy to Forget’, ‘Were You Saying Something?’ – unwind effortlessly into psychedelic-pop, trippy references abound, functioning as some kind of initiation into a mind-altering soundscape.
Raw Honey (2019) continues on the same path, with the first track ‘You’ve Got To Be Kidding’ opening up a humorous dialogue with Collins’ previous release. Heavily influenced by the sunny Californian sounds of the ’60s and ’70s, time becomes hazy as this album transports you to an artificial past that feels like a memory.
Don’t miss this all ages show, at the warehouse style Bootleg Theatre for just $15!
Drugdealer
Bootleg Theatre
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Doors: 8.30pm
Show: 9.00pm
All ages
GA from $15
Tickets here
Bootleg Theatre
2220 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles CA, 90057
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