My Mission to Mars

Last weekend I packed two t-shirts, a pair of tennis shoes, and a few extra socks and jumped on a plane bound for Burbank, California for my inaugural weekend at Joshua Tree’s Indian Cove.

Against the yellowed and sun-bleached desert, the horizon seems otherworldly. Bleak, weathered, yet alive, the sun ripples against the rock in colorful reddish hues set against an often clear indigo sky. True to their reputation, the bulbuous monzogranite rock formations burst from the ground like liquid magma turned stone.

As the sun set on our second night, my musically curated experience fell into the hands of Haywyre, Mostercat. Born in in Lafayette, Indiana and raised in Austria, Haywyre, aka Martin Vogt, delivers vibrant electronic ballads with driving synths reminiscent of the most outstanding Devo keytar solo and progressive dubstep rhythms familiar to GRIZ or Big Gigantic. Much of his distinct sound comes from fusing contemporary classical and jazz piano into his electronic productions. In both of Haywyre’s full length releases, Two Fold Pt. 1 & Pt. 2, Vogt’s improvisational flourishes work to weave a musical narrative that extends across the entire album.

To display his talents as a composer and player, Haywyre has released a series of live performance videos from his home studio that feature his quick fingers shredding across his Nord keyboard. One of my favorites is his reinterpretation of MJ’s Smooth Criminal, found below.