. Mason Bates / Masonic

Mason Bates / Masonic

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Masonic & MarsBassMan (David Arend) performing at the return of Mercury Soul at San Francisco's Mezzanine (Photo: Guru Khalsa)

DJ and electronica artist Masonic has mixed his unique blend of jazzy hip-hop, trip-hop, French house, and funk at venues from San Francisco to Berlin to Rome. The San Francisco hotspot Mezzanine has presented his extraordinary project Mercury Soul - an evening combining groovy electronica, contemporary classical music, and immersive lighting and visuals. Created in collaboration with stage designer Anne Patterson and Maestro Benjamin Shwartz of the San Francisco Symphony, this sold-out event brought over 1,400 people to its premiere. Don't miss Mercury Soul's return to 111 Minna on Friday, October 15!
Around San Francisco, Masonic has been heard at a variety of spaces, ranging from large clubs (Temple and Mezzanine) to lounges (Sugar, Skylark, Fuse, Magnet) to art spaces (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Berkeley Art Museum, Varnish Gallery). Often joining him on upright bass is the extraordinary David Arend. Their monthly residency "2nd Thursdays at John Colins" often incorporates live instrumentalists.

Mercury Soul: In between sets of electronica performed by Masonic & MarsBassMan, classical musicians performed modern music to 1,000 people at Mercury Soul's premiere at San Francisco hotspot Mezzanine (info). Maestro Benjmain Shwartz conducts. (Photo by Guru Khalsa.)

During a residency in Berlin, he appeared at well-known venues such as the Roter Salon, smaller lounges such as Zu Mir, or at large clubs in the former east side such as Kinzo. While living in Rome, Masonic DJed in Monte Testaccio, the thriving nightlife scene built inside the mountain of an ancient pottery dump, at venues such as Metaverso and Scarabocchio. As Masonic & MarsBassMan, Masonic and upright bassist David Arend headlined at Portland's Doug Fir during the NWEAMO Festival, and they have also appeared at the SFMOMA and at Plado Media's huge parties in Golden Gate Park. Playing together since their studies at The Juilliard School, the two have performed at the San Jose Festival - a comfortable venue for Arend, who has worked with figures as diverse as Ornette Coleman and Bobby McFerrin. The Magnet Lounge also hosted them during the North Beach Jazz Festival.

Masonic performing live electronica at SFMOMA (San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)
In n article in Symphony Magazine, Kyle Gann discusses Masonic's blending of classical music and electronica in works such as Digital Loom, commissioned for Juilliard's 100th Anniversary. Another recent work, Liquid Interface, for orchestra & electronica, was given its New York premiere this month at Carnegie Hall, where Masonic performed live electronica onstage with Maestro Leonard Slatkin and The National Symphony. Masonic's original music, built from scratch from the ground up, most recently appeared in The Locrian Mode, a beautifully surreal film by Eric Lodal, features the combination of string quartet and electronica, a pairing that matches the film's intimate look at four characters who interact in a night club. The film stars Dominique Swaine and opened the Beverly Hills Film Festival.

Masonic DJING at Berlin's lounge Zu Mir Oder Zu Dir

©2003-2007 by Mason Bates / Masonic (Full-length CD available here)

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February 1, 2008 : Mercury Soul returns to 111 Minna. Groovy downtempo & classical music - be there! (SOMA, happy hour) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Eve (SOMA, happy hour) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Eve (SOMA, happy hour) : As a lead-up to the Pittsburgh Symphony's performance of Liquid Interface, Mason Bates DJs at Pittsburgh's WYEP deb step program : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Eve (SOMA, happy hour) : Mercury Soul brings The Mercury Lounge to 111 Minna. Groovy downtempo & classical music - be there! (SOMA, happy hour) : Eve (SOMA, happy hour) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Eve (SOMA, happy hour) : Mason Bates performs live electronica on the San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, with David Arend on upright bass : San Francisco Electronica Music Festival : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Eve (SOMA, 5-9pm) : Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SOMA, 7-9pm) : Mezzanine (for Mercury Soul) : The San Francisco Symphony under Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas premieres The B-Sides, for orchestra & electronica : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : The Adorno Ensemble performs Red River, for mixed ensemble & electronica, at the Switchboard Festival : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Chicago Cultural Center : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Varnish (SOMA, 6-8pm) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : The Adorno Ensemble performs Red River, for mixed ensemble & electronica, at San Francisco State University on a concert featuring electronic music by Mason Bates & Mark Applebaum : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Portland's reknown Space hosts Masonic in an evening in collaboration with musicians of the Portland Symphony Orchestra : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Varnish (SOMA, 6-8pm) : Varnish (SOMA, 6-8pm) : Terra (for GenArt party) : Varnish's 5 Year Anniversary party (SOMA, 8-11pm) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : Varnish (SOMA, 6-8pm) : John Colins (SOMA, 10pm-1am) : BAM Cafe (Brooklyn Academy of Music, NY), post-concert party : Mercury Soul at Mezzanine (SOMA, 9pm-2am)

Upright bassist David Arend, who often joins Masonic, is a ubiquitous SF presence

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