Voices Voices, Gaslamp Killer and Prefuse 73. Just looking at the bill knows what to expect: heavy hitting drums, plenty of bass, and tons of extras to go wild to. And with the lovely Music Hall of Williamsburg as the backdrop for this electronic fanfare, there was no doubt that this was the place to be in NYC.
A new name to me, Voices Voices, started off the night with a short, but sweet set. The Los Angeles female duo played a number of different tracks, all which sounded fairly similar, but fresh nonetheless. Using a bunch of different vocal effects and distortion, these two were a perfect opener for the headlining Prefuse 73.
As the night moved quickly, Gaslamp Killer took to the stage, shaggy hair and all. Hitting the crowd with monsoons of kick drums and bass hits, they automatically embraced the animated Los Angeles disc jockey. As he cycled through an endless amount of genres and tempos, there was no telling where the set was going to go next. And keeping the attention of the audience was no match for GLK, as he spewed profanity and rude gestures to them like it was his day job. Continuing through the set, he played some exclusive Flying Lotus tracks, certainly a treat for present fans of the West Coast’s instrumental scene.
With no further delay, Scott Herren, a.k.a. Prefuse 73, and his two accomplices took the stage. As the immaculate sample triggers and drum breaks surrounded us, we were immediately exposed to the gracious sounds that have put this instrumental legend on the map. Soaring through cuts from some of his classic albums like Preparations and Surrounded by Silence, as well as from his new album, Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian, the audience went nuts throughout. By the end of the night, it was very clear why this man has been regarded for so long as the best at what he does.