Club d'Elf 25th Anniversary Tour - Feat. Fiveighthirteen

Club d'Elf has been helping audiences lose track of time for almost

twenty five years with its mesmerizing synthesis of Moroccan

traditional music and electronic, dubbed-out funk. Circling about

bassist/composer Mike Rivard and drummer Dean Johnston, each Club

d'Elf performance features a different line-up, drawn from a

constellation of some of the most creative improvisers from the jazz,

DJ, rock & world music scenes of Boston, NYC and beyond. The band's

music draws from a startlingly wide spectrum of styles, including

jazz, hip hop, electronica, avant garde, prog-rock and dub. Under the

tutelage of member Brahim Fribgane (who hails from Casablanca) the

band has absorbed Moroccan trance music, which is now an essential

part of the mix. Diverse audiences are drawn to Fribgane’s mesmerizing

oud stylings, and Rivard’s commanding playing of the Moroccan sintir.

Trance forms the central core of the Club d’Elf aesthetic, weaving

together the band’s various influences.

In April 2022 the band released its latest album, 'You Never Know',

which rose to #2 on the Relix chart. The record unfurls upon

kaleidoscopic clouds of spiced smoke, shifting from chopped dub-jazz

through trance epics that reimagine Boston as a city of bazaars. Club

d'Elf pay tribute to the music and musicians who have been primary

influences, with half the album being covers of gnawa, Miles Davis,

Joe Zawinul, Moroccan band Nass el-Ghiwane, and Frank Zappa. The other

half consists of original music inspired by Rivard's personal journey

into darkness following a near death experience in the remote jungle

of the Peruvian Amazon.

"You Never Know is a wide ranging romp, full of serenity, chaos,

longing, improvisation and peerless musicianship inspired by music

from India and Morocco as well as the maverick jazz of Miles Davis and

Frank Zappa." - Banning Eyre, Afropop Worldwide

“Crushed between the borders of Morocco, jam band land and the kingdom

of avant-garde jazz lies Club d’Elf...James Brown-meets-Sun-Ra.” – Jed

Gottlieb, Boston Herald

“Sounds like the lovechild of Pink Floyd and George Clinton, dropped

in Marrakesh...some deeply psychedelic music.” – Marlon Bishop, WNYC

Fiveighthirteen brings the otherworldly to the stage as they explore the organic aspects of electricity through psychedelic post-rock. Expect cinematic soundscapes alongside hypnotic downtempo grooves, improvised music alongside meticulously detailed compositions, and breakbeats alongside eerily beautiful minimalism.

For fans of: Aphex Twin, Do Make Say Think, Boards of Canada, Portishead, Squarepusher

"One of the most interesting, imaginative, and challenging records to come out of the Seacoast, maybe ever." - Chris Hislop, Spotlight Magazine

“Fiveighthirteen’s latest work juxtaposes a rich historical knowledge of musical traditions like jazz, electronica, indie rock, and ambient, while pushing each genre to its most radical thresholds. Throughout the album, experimentation with technological form is pitted against the stability of some seriously deep grooves. Sensations of sonic entropy remain unresolved throughout, giving the work its cutting edge. Virtuosic studio musicianship revels in automation while dusty loops convey intimacy. The result is exceptional.”

- Dr. Mike D’Errico, Director of Music Technology and Composition, Albright College