Space Funk is best defined as:
- That golf shot when man landed on the moon.
- A close encounter on the Space Shuttle.
- An EDM sub-genre.
- All of the above.
Jack Durst / Tahoe Onstage file
NVO, a San Francisco band featuring live electronic music, makes its debut at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino at 9 p.m. Saturday in a free performance at the Vinyl showroom for dance fans 21 and older.
The band’s website explains it all: “Since 2010, NVO has been rocking the scene with a steady assault of guitar, bass, drums, synthesizers and whatever else they find to channel the funk. The group takes an organic path to groove creation, always dissecting and reconstructing their sound with the freshest tech.
“The resulting fusion of bass-heavy rock, sci-funk and rave-hop epitomizes the NVO sound as they blast you into space.”
NVO is producer and guitarist Mike Laglia, drummer Greg Maximov, DJ Chuck Jones and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Charles Darius.
In 2015, NVO released “Night Vision Odyssey,” which quickly shot up the Beatport charts last October, ranking in the top 10 for Electro House, top 10 for Chillout releases, top 25 for House releases and top 25 for Electronica releases. “Night Vision Odyssey” features “a gamut of midtempo grooves, cinematic headnodders and dancefloor destroyers.”
Changes are under way in the group’s space groove, though. An upcoming EP moves from purely instrumental compositions to lyrics-based songs, and includes collaborations with Lateef the Truthspeaker and Eho Zu.
Although Saturday marks its first appearance at Hard Rock, NVO is not new to the Tahoe scene, having played at Heavenly Village, Tamarack Lodge and Whiskey Dick’s Saloon. As far as the Vinyl: “It’s a brand new venue and the sound and lighting are on point. Casino dance party! Heyoooooo!”
NVO can surprise the uninitiated. A reviewer for “The Bay Bridged” online music magazine said he scoffed upon hearing the group describe its genre as “live electronic music,” which he considered “emotionally dead inside,” best suited for “obnoxious tech bros and spolied suburban kids.”
“In the case of NVO, their music is not dead,” the reviewer admitted. “I was dead wrong.”
The answer, of course, is “4. All of the above.” So brush the stardust off your space suit and set the GPS for the Vinyl on Saturday.
Related story: Tahoe Onstage video of NVO at Heavenly Village. LINK
