GOBI

GOBI, technically, hails from just south of Austin, San Marcos.  But 'cause they moved here back in 2008, bringing along their dance/trance grooves, we claim 'em as our own.

Here's GOBI in action:   

That's Chuco Phil (a.k.a. Phil Arciniega) on the left there, and though he's picking out a melody on his Korg at that particular point in time, he may be better known as the voice of GOBI.  On the far right is Justin Dillon, who doesn't just chop on that 6-string axe, but poinks on the Korg too.  That's Matthew Kevin Dunn behind the drumkit, and he does the multi-instrument thing too.

Their debut LP, "The Poltergeist Arcade", was released last July (2010), making a splash at the UT student-run station, KVRX, cracking the top 40.   And there's a good reason for that - This release showed off their knack for melding trance, dance, rap, jazz, and scorching guitar riffs into deft, accessible, hypnotic soundscapes.   Check out "Music Save Me"; see how many genres you can spot from the opening back beat, to the screeching guitar at 50 seconds in, to the climatic sinister synth lines at 5:30:

Their latest, "The Late Night", moves away from the lengthy instrumentals of "The Poltergeist Arcade" and breezes into more radio-friendly, lyrical territory; with Chuco's vox gracing every song. "She Moves it Right" and "Skyline" presents sweet dance-friendly grooves; while "Ain't Gonna Die" features some very nice melodic lines with the vocals following along, both atop a minimalistic chord progression. 

As you can tell from these pics, those Korgs play a central role in their sound; emanating nice arpeggios, saw-toothed melodic lines, 8-bit-ish stingers, fatty bass lines, and even the occasional perc patterns.  That guitar is a biggy too, with Justin's fiery solos grabbing central focus for some of their more sublime moments.  Lastly, Chuco's voice tops off their smooth, cool, unique sound:  A great sound, a blend of some of the last 10 years' better musical inventions, all in happy, pitch-perfect balance.  

You probably missed their SXSW gigs, but you can still enjoy their latest, "The Late Night":

Find out more about GOBI on Facebook, Bandcamp, and Home Base.