The Beatdown

Kid 606 turns laptops into punk-rock machines

Comments (0) By Drexel Faris Thursday, Apr 27 2006

Drawing on influences ranging from Godflesh to John Cage, Miguel Trost Depedro (better-known as Kid 606) wields his laptop with lethal accuracy, slicing genres, mashing styles and trampling preconception with the kind of punk-rock fervor most people don't expect from EDM. After releasing his glitch-core masterpiece Don't Sweat the Techniques in 1998, 2000's Down With the Scene proved the Kid versatile by refining his rough sound with a collage of jackhammer techno, white-noise distortion, kitchen sinks and reggae backbeats. Kid 606 made the disparate elements come together in a way that was both beautiful and savage, but through all the MIDI wizardry he maintains a humorous, human element in his work that eludes most laptop artists. And nowhere is that human element more apparent than on 2005's Resilience. If some previous offerings represented the manic half of Kid 606's psyche, Resilience certainly represents the depressive, as he opts for slight adjustments and gentle tweaks rather than the digital purée he's known for. Simpler, sadder tracks like "I Miss You" and "Hold It Together" certainly let you know he's in a different place, and his ability to take the listener right there with him is what sets Kid 606 apart. So where will he be taking us for Friday's show at the Red Blood Club? Considering the 26-year-old techno powerhouse is playing a space known for rough-and-tumbling punk-rock, be ready to expect an EDM show that isn't much like an EDM show at all. After all, that's what the Kid is good at.