- It was a pity that Brainfeeder artists Tokimonsta and Nosaj Thing couldn't drag the California sunshine with them on their recent to Australia. With the duo arriving in the midst of Sydney's wettest July in 50 years, the Oxford Art Factory's cloakroom girls struggled against the throng as they stashed multitudes of umbrellas and over-sized coats in the depths behind them. As I sipped my beer witnessing the cloakroom stress levels rise, it occurred to me that the rain, a usually reliable party spoiler, had failed to dampen the crowd's enthusiasm—the place was packed.
For his Australian dates, Nosaj Thing played the support role and took to the stage first. Despite probably not being as well known to Australian audiences as Tokimonsta, I was actually pleasantly surprised that the Sydney crowd made him feel at home almost immediately. The dance floor was already full as people head-nodded their way through his low-slung and hypnotic brand of hip-hop. In a showcase of his prowess behind the booth, Nosaj Thing whirled through his set, rarely letting a track play for more than 90 seconds before mixing into the next. He rarely interacted with the crowd, seemingly more content to hunch over his controllers. But with every triggered snare or kick, he delved deeper into his own music until it seemed like he was just a personification of the sound itself. The more knowledgeable punters responded appropriately when he dropped some of his own productions, especially the beautiful "Aquarium" and the ethereal "Fog." He also played a few of his well-known remixes, including reworks of The xx's "Islands" and Portishead's "Wandering Star."
Photo credit: fledermaus
Rewarded for his efforts with a glass of red wine, Nosaj Thing retired to the side as the first lady of Brainfeeder stepped into the spotlight. As Tokimonsta shyly greeted the adoring crowd, one hundred iPhones were held aloft, recording the moment for posterity. She started dreamily but soon switched into party mode, jacking up the tempo through raggafied dub and bass-heavy dubstep. Her stage presence is a mix of sass and confidence, singing along to the music and smiling cheekily to herself before unleashing a heavy bassline. In the heat of the Oxford Art Factory, Tokimonsta took the crowd through some well-thumbed classics like Pharoahe Monch's "Simon Says," Method Man & Redman's "How High," and several cuts from Dr. Dre—"Xxplosive" and "The Next Episode"—as well as her own productions like "Moving Forward" and the standout "Bright Shadows" throughout the first part of her set.
Even a power outage that stopped the music at around 12:30 AM (to which some attributed Tokimonsta's heavy bass as being the catalyst) couldn't bring the party to a halt, and with soundmen rushing around, Tokimonsta engaged with the expectant crowd. To some drunk at the left of stage that began yelling dumb Japanese phrases, "For the person speaking Japanese to me: I'm Korean," she responded to the crowd's delight. "We're not all the same." After a ten-minute hiatus, things were back on track. Toki launched into the finale, dropping her remix of Tweet's "Call Me," as well as Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze" and Max Romero & The Upsetters' "I Chase the Devil" before finally finishing with the beastly Lloyd Banks track "Beamer, Benz or Bentley."
In a night where Sydney was able to experience what LA locals experience every Wednesday at the famed Low End Theory nights, Nosaj Thing and Tokimonsta played the role of LA-tronica ambassadors flawlessly. The broad eclecticism was an education for most, but it was a tutorial doused heavily in fun that left no one without a smile.