LCD Soundsystem begin their 20-show Brooklyn Steel residency tonight (11/23). They've said this is a somewhat stripped down version of the band, compared to the one that toured from 2016-2018 surrounding the group's reunion album, American Dream. That means less gear, but also line-up changes. Pitchfork reports that synth guru Gavilán Rayna Russom is no longer in the band.
She told Pitchfork that part of the reason for her leaving the group was health-related: Russom contracted a bad case of Covid in the early days of the pandemic and is still experiencing post-Covid symptoms. It also put her "in a place of wanting to be even more intentional about what I do.” She said, "When this offer came up again [for the 2021 residency], I had considered it. And when I looked at the reality of this time, I was just like, 'I’m just not able to do this.' My work has grown to a point where I’m not able to put it aside for a couple of years and go on tour with LCD, or double up. A lot of times I’d be on tour with LCD and making my own music in the bus between 7 and noon. It just reached a natural point based on some concerns I’ve had for a really long time."