In case you missed it, Diplo, Skrillex, and Justin Bieber sat down with the New York Times last summer to dissect the creation of the trio’s monster hit “Where Are Ü Now” (sample quote from Biebs: “The sounds that are used are not cheap, they’re very expensive-sounding sounds”). The song, if you’re among the handful of people who haven’t heard it, was the first in a series of singles to elevate Bieber out of kiddy-pop/heel-turn territory and into critical consideration as a serious artist.
Now that super-producer Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs has done the same for Thao Nguyen, turning the Thao & the Get Down Stay Down frontwoman from national punchline to critically respected soulster with her production on the recently released A Man Alive, it only seems right that the pair would appear in their own making-the-hit mini-doc. Watch below as Garbus and Nguyen (who appears both as herself and as wildly inventive mega-producer ThaoX) explain the mind-expanding process behind A Man Alive cut “Astonished Man”—if you can handle it.
Fresh off of last week’s FLOODfest, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down are taking their show on the road with a lengthy run of dates. Check them on tour—and watch for the drop—below.
Thao & the Get Down Stay Down tour dates
March
25 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom*
26 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre*
27 – Vancouver, BC – The Cobalt*
30 – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Café†
31 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall†
April
1 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall†
2 – St. Louis, MO – The Ready Room†
3 – Louisville, KY – Headliners†
5 – Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle†
6 – Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
7 – Cincinnati, OH – Woodward Theater†
8 – Millvale, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre†
9 – Toronto, ON – Adelaide Hall‡
11 – South Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Ballroom‡
12 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair‡
13 – New York, NY – Webster Hall†‡
15 – Washington, D.C. – 9:30 Club†‡
16 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts†‡
17 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry‡
18 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle‡
20 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West§
21 – New Orleans, LA – One Eyed Jacks§
22 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Studio§
23 – Austin, TX – The Mohawk§
24 – Dallas, TX – Trees§
26 – Albuquerque, NM – Launchpad§
27 – Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom§
28 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up§
29 – Los Angeles, CA – The Regent Theatre§
30 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore§
