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Like Optimus Prime, Will “TrillBot” Ribbans is a multifaceted musical machine who reconfigures himself to perform several jobs: producer, house/dance DJ and guitarist-vocalist for the indie pop band Sun Sounds. On April 17 at Sister (407 Central Ave. NW), Trillbot will transport the crowd to a cybernetic desert where the future is bathed in radiant light. He’s releasing a new record called Leap and to celebrate, he’s invited some soulful beings who sing like solar angels. Don’t fear, Trillbot wishes audiences on the Downtown dance floor no harm. His mission is to make humanity move to bone-massaging bass, relaxing guitar licks and hallucinogenic synths. The show promises good vibrations this Thursday. Optimistic trills.
“I’m a robot wanting to spread love and dance to the desert Southwest,” Ribbans says. “So my message to people is just to love one another. Honestly, it’s a fucked-up world we live in. I think the only way through it is to stay connected, and music seems to be one of the great ways we can do that.”
Trillbot’s superpower is a melodic groove that gets audiences moving as if hit by a mind-control beam. Ribbans says Trillbot has been through different iterations over the years, transforming himself from a hip-hop beat machine into a bass and dubstep bot, but lately, he’s been modified to produce house music. His main objective these days is to get dance floors moving.
“I love playing instruments. I love bringing that natural, organic element to it,” Ribbans says. “I wanted to have a feeling of the desert. A dancey, deep-desert-nostalgia-mirage feeling. I love all genres and I just can’t stick to one. I love it when people who might not normally listen to dance music jive with it.”
Ribbans also plays a mean guitar and says he’s always been inspired by different genres of music. Tracks like “I’m Wrong” and “Soul Translation” show Trillbot’s versatility, merging electronic elements with live instrumentation. It’s the same type of “electronic fusion” audiences can expect to see play out live onstage during the release party at Sister. Leap is the first time Ribbans has tried to get a “concept thing” going. He says the record is about taking a leap of faith, going for what you love and taking a chance by pursuing one’s passions.
“There’s a combination of some angsty stuff on there, and there’s a combination of some vibey stuff, some really slow stuff and some gritty dancy stuff,” he says. “I hope there’s something in there for everyone and people understand the story I’m trying to tell. And it’s New Mexico-grown and based. I hope people resonate with that.”
Ribbans says the title track “Leap” was one of the first songs he made after quitting his full-time job of six years to dive headfirst into music. It features vocals from Rayna Torres who will be performing the release party with her neo-soul group Dollarstore Queen. Supporting act Kid Plastic just released a new album, so we might get to hear some brand-new tracks from them on Thursday as well. DJ’s Jaxsun Planet and Pocket Elephant round out the night of live music and MCs spinning soul, hip-hop and other genres of club music. You won’t be able to hold still, that’s for sure. Make sure you oil those machine parts.
You can visit Trillbot’s online home at trillbot.com/music for music, merch and more. He’s also on Spotify and Soundcloud.
You can check out Ribbans’ indie band Sun Sounds (which features Trillbot’s signature indie-electronic beats) on Bandcamp.
Watch the video for Willajay and Trillbot’s collaboration “Stardust”:
Trillbot Leap Album Release
April 17, 8 p.m.
Sister
407 Central Ave. NW
$5