The use of backing tracks during live performances has been very controversial as of late. Recently, KISS has been the target of multiple lip sync alligations during their live performances. However, during a new interview with NME, keyboardist/turntablist, Frank Delgado of Deftones, whose replaced their guitarist for this suprising reason, discussed how “backing tracks” as well as “click tracks” made “perfect live shows” a modern day phenomeon. Credit to the outlet for the following.
“It’s always good when people are able to put their best foot forward and feel like they’re fitting in, without worrying about being part of a scene. Sometimes you need to be that thorn. We were always the thing that stuck out, because we were not the same.
He would also say by saying: “Things go in phases, but one thing that I think I noticed is that so much music uses click tracks and backing tracks these days, so there’s so much perfection, which is a trip for me because there’s never been any of that with us.
Delgado continue: “People are so used to seeing a perfect show, they expect things to sound exactly like the record but there’s something about a raw, visceral performance with tension that will always speak to some people. Others might say it sounds like shit but in a time when everything sounds and looks so perfect, I think some warts and all are important.”
While Abe Cunningham, fellow Deftones bandmate would later proclaim about the prospective follow-up to the group’s 2020 album ‘Ohms’ joking that it will be ‘soft as hell’. “The next one is going to be soft as hell. Everyone’s going to weep uncontrollably for months. There’ll be a tissue shortage around the world.
He would conclude: “No, for better or worse, there are never any rules or preconceived thought put into much of what we create. It’s mostly just jamming it out and seeing what happens.”
