CMJ Music Marathon 2008 Day 2: Tobacco

Despite New York’s no smoking policy, Tobacco is ubiquitous at CMJ; seriously, this guy is everywhere. If you haven’t heard of him yet, you will soon. The Black Moth Super Rainbow member just dropped an album on Anticon, full of analog-drenched beats topped off with synth melodies. With pre-programmed tracks forming the basis of the set, Tobacco and a companion switched up synth lines and tweaked sounds to add a definitive human touch. The human element carried into the hilarious video accompaniment as well, which encompassed everything from ‘70s workout videos to ‘80s wrestling. But unless you were there early it was hard to catch a glimpse of what was going on — the unfortunate side effect of the intimate Cake Shop venue.