Bernice Afriyie | Arts Editor
Featured image: Autograf attempts to offer listeners a different flavour of electronic music with their modern sets. | Julian Cassidy
Autograf is the definition of a triple threat. Band members Jake Carpenter, Louis Kha and Mikul Wing brought more than electric vibes when they hit the Mod Club Theatre last Thursday night with Goldroom. As visual artists and socially aware musicians, Autograf’s performance was more than just a fun set at a nightclub.
Autograf’s show started outside of the club, before the band’s practice and production set, with the inception of the band’s vision. The band encouraged fans and listeners on their social media platforms to leave their mark—or autograph—on the world.
Taking into account that Autograf produces digital beats, the band is inherently concerned with electronic reproduction. So when Autograf asks its fans to leave their mark on the world, it’s not a call to literally leave a print on the world, but to remember that there exists a physical world outside of our isolated, technological bubbles.
The band is interdisciplinary, focusing on not just their sound but their whole production, including their album art, instruments and stages. Autograf created prototypes of their own custom instruments that are light reactive, and their stages are often created by the talented band members.
Their involvement in all aspects of music production is laborious but creates an intimate and immersive listening experience for fans. No set is ever the same and no live experience replicable.
Autograf is probing the minds of their listeners while enlightening their ears with a pop-infused blend of electronic music. Hits like “Don’t Worry” and “Dream” sweep listeners away on soothing tropical notes.
The band formed in 2013 and has steadily built an impressive social media presence with large Soundcloud and Twitter followings. Autograf started in Chicago, but is poised to take over North America’s electronic music scene with their innovative visuals.
