Being a bit of a trendwhore and a lover of all things free, I couldn’t miss the chance to check out a showcase this month at the new Apple Store on St. Catherine street (for a list of the other showcases click here). So, I trekked up to watch a bit of fine imported talent called Yoav, who’s been garnering a little attention, mostly across the pond, for his unique take on acoustic guitar looping. Hailing from South Africa, Yoav is a one-man show, using only his guitar, voice, and some effects layered together to basically render his take on electronic music styles, ranging from Hed Kandi-style house to deep Massive Attack-style melancholy to glitchy Radiohead.

With the novelty-factor high, a hundred or so keeners lined up and shuffled uncomfortably past clapping and cheering Apple Store staff members (some kind of creepy marketing tactic - thanks but no thanks guys) to make their way to the upper level of the store. Unfortunately they didn’t allow photos to be taken, hence the lack of photos or video here…. sorry, blame, um, Apple. But someone managed to sneak some and put them up here, and a short video up here. So there was Yoav standing directly in front of the massive glowing Apple logo before a very expectant crowd sitting amongst all the merchandise displays and on the “Genius Bar”. Yoav is a bit of a novelty himself, being a one-man acoustic guitar dj, and dove right in with some upbeat electro tracks by layering thumps, string thwacks, and little scratchy noises. The whole thing came off a bit like a serious study on the art of looping, kind of like a sober violin recital, but it was pretty impressive to watch and hear, and you have to appreciate that he has found a niche and does it well. Mid-set he pulled out a cover of Radiohead’s Idioteque (who are playing tonight, probably in the rain, at Parc Jean Drapeau) and, while it doesn’t touch the original, it is… well… novel and interesting.

It soon became clear though that Yoav, while unquestionably talented, is sort of a one-trick pony. When he pulled out a dark, arabian-esque and kind of ordinary number a few songs in, it sounded just sort of, well, ordinary… like your above-average coffee-shop fare. The novelty factor of hearing a dance beat coming from a dude with an acoustic guitar is a thin veil, barely hiding the fact that he is just a dude with an acoustic guitar. And that novelty factor wears off quick. While interesting to watch live, you can’t help the fact that he is essentially trying to pull off electronica without electronic sounds and that, at the end of the day, it just isn’t electronic music. So you may as just well listen to the real thing, right? It’s an honorable concept to attempt, anyway, and I would be surprised if anyone does it better. Personally, though, I’d rather listen to Massive Attack than a guy trying to mimic that sound on an acoustic guitar.

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