Toro y Moi | 02.19.2013 | LIVE at the Union Transfer | Philadelphia, PA

Toro y Moi (with Dog Bite & Wild Belle) | Union Transfer | Philadelphia, PA

02.19.2013

Words by: Kathleen Horan

Photos by: Rosie Simmons, Camuz Musique Montréal, Greg Henkel, Benjamin Hines

Dog Bite, the new project of the former Washed Out keyboardist Phil Jones, opened up Monday night’s show at the Union Transfer in Philadelphia, backed by several fellow Atlanta natives on guitar, bass, and drums. An equally resonant bass guitar balanced Jones’ low voice, complimenting the tones nicely, bringing together a sound that would have otherwise come off as monotone, had Jones’ sung in isolation.

Jones’ band introduced the crowd to their debut album, ‘Velvet Changes,’ released just six days prior. The mellow rock sound reminded me of what I’m used to hearing in an unfurnished, crowded basement indigenous to Philly, however, you can instantly tell why this band is performing at a real venue instead of a party where the size of the crowd relies on the beer supply. They eased the crowd into the flow of the show, warming their way toward a more energetic finish that foreshadowed the night’s overall vibe, featuring the addition of maracas from the drummer, and more notable guitar playing by Jones.

Wild Belle, the brother and sister duo of Natalie and Elliot Bergman, increased the energy with their groovy reggae and ska influenced tunes. Natalie’s hypnotic voice, as beautiful as her physique, drifted like smoke to every corner of the venue, captivating anyone it touched with its pervasive tone. Even with her entrancing voice and equally striking beauty, Elliot managed to shine through on his own with impressive performances on saxophone, his solos evoking the strongest responses from the crowd. The duo proved a fitting transitory performance to Toro Y Moi and what he would soon bring to the stage. Wild Belle got the crowd fully in the mood to dance and hit a middle ground with their vibe and energy that bolstered the show’s musicianship, compared to the preceding and following acts. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see them again, but I definitely recommend keeping an eye out for their upcoming album, which will be released in March.

All this building energy coming from the previous acts left attendees eager for the act they really came for–Toro Y Moi, the musical persona of Chaz Bundick. He is among the best of those credited with the creation of the ‘chillwave’ genre, a style of music that combines retro 80’s sounds, ambient melodies and downtempo electronica, with vocals and popmusic. But, with Toro Y Moi’s third and newest album, ‘Anything in Return,’ released on January 22^nd, Chaz has developed his sound in a new direction with the essence of pop music at the heart of it all.

It was clear from the start of the set his ‘chillwave’ days are over, dropping a heavy bassline that instantly got the crowd moving. With a well-crafted manipulation of energy, Chaz slowed down just enough to pack an extra punch as he slipped into what was clearly a crowd favourite–‘High Living,’ a track from his new album. Now, with everyone singing and groovin’ along, a full-fledged dance party took over the venue. After playing another particularly funky track, Chaz paused to let the crowd breathe and asked how everyone was doing before he jumped into, ‘So Many Details,’ the very well received single from his new album. Everyone unified in full force right along with him, gettin’ down as the sounds of his haunting samples swirled around the crowd, paired with a powerful melody. The crowd was under his spell now, with one enthusiastic fan repeatedly shouting, “Toro Y Life,” while the next song began. ‘Say That,’ another crowd favourite, had everyone singing along again, even inspiring the crowd to form a dance circle in the center of the venue. At the end of Toro Y Moi’s set, with them off the stage, the audience started chanting, “We want Chaz,” demanding an encore. After a few moments, blue lights enveloped the stage, and the band emerged to announce, “Two more for you guys.”

Starting with, ‘All Alone,’ Chaz threw down some impressive keyboard action that made the crowd go crazy. Chaz addressed everyone once more saying, “This is our last one, foreal,” then thanked his band, and continued. Toro Y Moi dove into the final song of the night. Here, the only track off his debut album, ‘Low Shoulders,’ left old and new fans alike incredibly satisfied with another display of Chaz’s keyboard skills, and a taste of what got many into Toro Y Moi in the first place. One brave fan ran onto the stage and hugged Chaz as he said his final thanks and goodnight to the audience, accurately representing how everyone felt after the show.