IAMX is the solo project of Chris Corner who was originally part of the band Sneaker Pimps. Corner began the project in 2004 in London as a merger of independent music and visual art. His music is varied due to his genre crossing sound but aso his ranging production techniques which have been known to produce anything from burlesque inspired dance tracks to emotive ballads.
Since 2006 Chris has based his recording and general life in Berlin and it has heavily influenced his lyrical subject matter, including themes such as death, love, decadence, critique of religion and politics, alienation and addiction often associated with the capital.
IAMX emphasises the eccentricity within his music when performing live, his tours now famed for unusual stage outfits and body painting. Corner and his team also design all the art and props that make up his stage design as well as directing the video he projects throughout the show. The video footage along with his music videos have been known to cause controversy in the media. His latest album 'The Unified Field' was released in 2013, and to date his discography stands at five albums, all of which were self-released and produced by Corner.
I was fortunate to see IAMX on their brief Pledgemusic-funded tour of the US. If you get a chance, you absolutely should, especially as Chris Corner's struggles with health, mental and physical, have made such things rarer now than they used to be. (I'm going to say "they", although it's Chris Corner's brainchild, because Janine Gezang and Alberto Alvarez, as well as new member Sammi Doll, are essential parts of the live experience.) IAMX is best described as dark electronica, but there's a wide range of musical and artistic influence, from cabaret to orchestral and sometimes purely visual and sensory inspiration. The lyrics of their songs don't shy away from hard topics. Sex, politics, drug use, abuse, the music industry; overwhelming anxiety and ego-shattering love: it's cathartic and unguarded and honest.
The music is great just to listen to, but in person, in a fairly intimate venue, the experience is like the difference between your first kiss and the most mindblowing intimate encounter of your life. Both are great, but in different galaxies. Chris & co completely cast a spell on the audience, aided by amazing costuming and lighting, and the energy in the room was palpable. There's a lot of fan interaction, touching and inviting the front rows to interact. I remember feeling transported, as if this was not quite a human encounter. The music does not lose anything (and might gain something) for being performed live, and the stage presence of everyone in the band as well as their interactions with each other is completely compelling. I don't have a single regret about the show. IAMX definitely explores their own catalogue as well: I was thrilled to hear quite a bit of the new album, but some of my favorites from older records were played as well.
Amazingly, this show took place during some of the most hellish weeks of Chris's recent health problems. It may take some waiting (though Chris is performing on StageIt over the next few months with awesome acoustic shows that walk through the older albums -- I totally recommend the online experience) but IAMX should not be missed, especially in a small venue.
wildefae
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