CONCERT REVIEW (02/02/2013) EMO’S EAST AUSTIN Words by Tomas Salazar
Chazwick Bundick, producer and mastermind behind Toro y Moi, is a strong up and coming artist that I had long been waiting to see. When I first listened to his Car Park Records debut album, ‘Causers of This’ (2010), his music instantly struck me as very soothing and experimental, but most of all I found it to be very personal. In other words, it was great headphone music. Even tunes from later releases such as ‘Underneath the Pine’ (2011) and ‘Anything in Return’ (2013) delivered comfort and a sense of serenity to my mind and soul. Often described as Chillwave or synthpop, I was not really sure what to expect from a Toro y Moi concert. Everything I had heard or read about his shows displayed his DIY technique with Ableton Live as opposed to anything involving a full live band. Always armed with a computer, some keyboards, and a guitar, his solo sets required him to be in full control of every aspect of his performance. As his music became more organic, he began to drift into the idea of using other musicians on stage. Bundicks’s 2013 tour, shortly after the drop of ‘Anything in Return’ brought him and his band to Emo’s East in Austin, Texas on the 2nd of February. Expecting Toro to lay down what I always claimed to be smooth jams, I was instantly caught off guard and slammed by a wave of pure supremacy. Kicking the show off with songs like “Say That” and “New Beat”, I was pleasantly overwhelmed with the warmth of full synth-like chords and incredibly funky melodies. The dance floor erupted with motion, which lasted throughout the entire set. Needless to say this is one of the best concerts I have been to over the last year. I am always on the look out for groundbreaking music and upcoming DIY producers that bring new sounds and unique creative techniques to the table. Yet acts like Toro y Moi remind me that no matter what you do in the studio, nothing can ever replace the experience of feeling live bass, the necessity to dance brought about by punchy synth lines, groovy guitar riffs, and the levels of intensity and euphoria that live drums and dynamics can take us too. It truly was a very personal and exponentially inspiring experience. I think its fair to say that I won’t be missing any Toro y Moi shows if there’s anything that I can do about it. And you shouldn’t either!