Blaqk Audio: Artist in Review

Blaqk Audio is an electronic music duo consisting of AFI members Davey Havok and Jade Puget. It's their concurrent project that is just as important to them as their original band, and it shows. They have so far produced three albums, Cex Cells, Bright Black Heaven, and their latest release this year, Material.

There is nothing like Blaqk Audio out on the music scene right now. For most dance music fans, they're an absolute hidden gem. Blaqk Audio's style is a paradox of sound. With self proclaimed influences like Duran Duran, Culture Club, Depeche Mode, Erasure, and Daft Punk to name a few; their music is antiquely rooted in the sounds from the Synthpop era of the 1980s. This immensely talented duo has turned that retro sound into something else entirely. 

Davey Havok's vocals are truly one of a kind. High pitched notes effortlessly shift into low growling lyrics that pierce your soul with their depth and meaning. Jade's Tron-esque production skills are only growing each succeeding album.

Their 1980s influence can be seen clearly in their live show and the artists they had opening for them. I had the pleasure of seeing Blaqk Audio live at Bottom Lounge in Chicago, with opening acts from alternative rock bands, Charming Liars, and Night Riots. 

The absolute energy and ambiance that these performers elicit from their stage presence is unprecedented. Blaqk Audio ushers in a welcomed change to many traditional EDM sets. You've got Davey dancing around the stage like a reincarnated Freddie Mercury loving every second of it, with Jade bobbing his head up and down behind two laptops, the mastermind behind the sound. 

Blaqk Audio played a wide range of their music spanning through all three of their albums. Each song with a different type of energy to it, be it an anthemic call to darkness or upbeat dance beat, you'd expect coming out of a 90's trance club. 

Listen for yourself the dichotic comparison between a song like 'First to Love' and the edgier passionate filled synths and leading vocals on a song like 'Black at the Center'. Blaqk Audio's range and shifting genres in each song of their album is the cornerstone of what makes them truly one of a kind artists. 

Get a jump on listening to the wide array of music Blaqk Audio has produced, you'll be exposed to all kinds of new music and old stuff you never heard of before. At the end of their set the two of them did a rendition of an absolute classic, Erasure - 'A Little Respect', the lyrics and rendition were emblematic of Blaqk Audio's persona. As the EDM culture shifts to more live based acts, it wouldn't be a stretch to say Blaqk Audio may be seen at the likes of an EDC, or Ultra and other festivals of the sort in the near future.