Buddy Akai. Hands down one of the hardest working bands in the We saw these guys perform during Pop-Rocks at the Beauty Bar one night and said “who the hell are those guys playing on the stage”? Well at least our Producer said that. At any rate, the four piece band, comprised of the following: Memo Rex on the SM-58 and keys/synth, Waly Mayhem on the 6 strings, Rotny on the 4 strings and Alvaro Lazo, aka Pills, on the skins, have been around since late 2004 and have, since then, played nationally and over the border, opening for touring acts and Djs.
They hold true to something that most Brit-pop and poppy alt-rock bands fall short of; which is simply making your “Groove Thing” move on the dance floor. Cause where you get jumpin around and bouncing off each other in a weak pit Buddy Akai will seriously get you dancing like it was the disco in the 60’s.
Releasing their self-titled debut, produced by Uriel Esquenazi, an international DJ/Producer who has worked with various artists like Plastilina Mosh, ZOE and Thievery Corporation, is amazing. Taking you on a melodic emotion ride filled with synth and steady beats to shake it to. Although the synth does make most of the songs sound the same, it definitely fills a void in the beats that would otherwise just not work out.
Watching them live is a crazy experience as well, with Mr. Rex multi-tasking on the keys and mic, as well as the rest of the band backing their lead. If you hooked the band up to an intelligent laser light show it would be sure to star seizers.
Everything combined makes Buddy Akai a must have for your local collection and a must to catch at The Beauty Bar, where they frequent as if they were drinkers instead of a band playing. We’re definitely proud to have them as our “This Time Around” featured artist on Latitude 32°.
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