- One of the more highly anticipated shows of Red Bull Music Academy's return to New York took place on a quiet block in Greenpoint, where the ever-evolving Panda Bear (AKA Noah Lennox) showcased a batch of unreleased songs that dealt in his trademark hypnotic textures and always-idiosyncratic vocal melodies. The night began with Brooklyn producer and visual artist Torn Hawk, the alias of Luke Wyatt, who immediately established an unforgiving tone. Mixing simplistic kick patterns with mid-heavy industrial fragments and psychedelic guitar noodling, the set slowly built in energy. Various stuttering spoken-word fragments provided momentary relief, allowing the shredded blanket of sound to lift before descending again.
Dâm-Funk's set kicked the BPM up a few notches, but it was hard not to wish his rhythm-heavy funk exercises were played with more nuance and variation instead of the somewhat canned beats that came from his laptop. Most of the crowd didn't seem to mind, though, as his smooth vocals, quick-fingered G-funk synth lines and heartfelt stage banter were more than engaging.
The visuals throughout the evening were impressive, and as the first notes of Panda Bear's set slipped into the room, two incredibly vibrant lights sliced through the air above the crowd. The effect was entrancing, as were the warped visuals of frequent Animal Collective visual collaborator Danny Perez that filled the screen behind Lennox's modest setup.
Unsurprisingly, the entirety of the set, save the encore, was devoted to new material. Many of the new songs had woodsy arpeggios rubbing against heavy beats that teased syncopated kick drum patterns before dropping into polyrhythmic transitions. Lennox's way with melody has always set him apart from the many artists that have followed in his wake, and an even keener understanding of vocal manipulation was on display. Whereas the vocals on Person Pitch and Tomboy had a choir-like, angelic style, Lennox demonstrated even greater range at Warsaw, moving from a whisper to a harsher tone that sounded like a futuristic Buddy Holly.
The evening wouldn't have felt complete without an encore, given the generosity of sharing an entirely new set of music to a room of diehard fans. Lennox resurfaced following a short break to revisit a few Tomboy tracks with perfect execution before gracefully thanking the crowd.
Photo credits: Erik Erikson