Laptop Hip-Hop

Though his accessible approach to rhyming and beats might at first sound tailor-made for suburbanite mall dwellers, MC Lars' subversive spirit is what matters. His hum-along melodies and wise-ass quirks might come off as safe, but dude makes music like a Jesus Jones-meets-Kraftwerk compilation album. A Stanford University student with...

By Saby Reyes-Kulkarni

February 15, 2007

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Though his accessible approach to rhyming and beats might at first sound tailor-made for suburbanite mall dwellers, MC Lars' subversive spirit is what matters. His hum-along melodies and wise-ass quirks might come off as safe, but dude makes music like a Jesus Jones-meets-Kraftwerk compilation album. A Stanford University student with a yen for both computer-generated beats and Run D.M.C., Lars tries to place technology in the context of its larger social impact. He focuses on how computers, software, and the Internet have impacted the way people listen to and make music. That's some heavy shit, but Lars is interested in the mentality of "the generation that grew up with the Internet as part of its everyday life." His lyrics touch on social woes such as global warming and oil prices like his counterpart Moby, but he spares us Moby's haughty intellectual edge. Still, his friendly demeanor, catchiness, and Weird Al-esque parody approach belies a fierce anti-commercial attitude.

MC Lars performs Friday, February 16, at the Culture Room. Mustard Plug, Against All Authority, Suburban Legends, and Patent Pending also perform. Show starts at 7:30 pm. Tickets cost $12 in advance, $14 at the door. Call 954-564-1074, or visit www.cultureroom.net.

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