Since its 1992 founding, the Chicago-based label Thrill Jockey has employed the same fearless, unclassifiable approach as its artists. A home to records by everyone from David Byrne to late free-jazz saxophone hero Fred Anderson, the label never limited itself to a vibe or genre, and it isn’t starting now. Celebrating two decades of gleeful all-inclusiveness, Thrill Jockey blows into its original hometown this weekend—the company started in an Alphabet City walk-up—for a two-venue takeover.
Headlining Saturday at Webster Hall is Tortoise, a Windy City instrumental quintet and arguably the quintessential Thrill Jockey band. On albums like TNT and Millions Now Living Will Never Die, the group wove driving drums, dizzying mallet percussion, woozy synthesizers, and off-kilter guitar riffs into brooding, mysterious tapestries. Sharing the bill is left-field electronic duo Matmos, a recent Thrill Jockey signee. On 2001’s A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure, the band made infectious dance music from the sounds of liposuction, nose jobs and laser eye surgery; for its forthcoming TJ release, The Ganzfeld EP, Matmos recorded music inspired by what test subjects said they saw or heard after member Drew Daniel attempted to implant concepts in their minds through telepathy.
Friday’s Death by Audio bill features still-freakier acts, including Man Forever and Guardian Alien, helmed respectively by local avant-garde drum bigwigs Kid Millions and Greg Fox (whose former band Liturgy plays at Webster). Should be quite the thrill ride indeed.—Brad Farberman
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