New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

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Toro y Moi Hypnotizes Brooklyn’s Elsewhere With Trance-Inducing Beats

A+musician+from+the+Toro+y+Moi+performance.+%28Courtesy+of+the+New+Yorker%29
A musician from the Toro y Moi performance. (Courtesy of the New Yorker)

Toro y Moi, also known as Chaz Bundick, brought down the house in Brooklyn Saturday night at the first show of their two-night residency at Elsewhere. The sold-out performance featured a set of  old and new tracks in anticipation of their new album “Outer Peace,” set for a January 2019 release. Based on the positive live reception of their new tracks, the next album will be queued at every apartment disco.

To kick off the night, Minnesotan Dizzy Fae performed alongside producer Alec Ness, also known by his stage name, Sun Na. Fae’s alternative rhythm and blues sound, and contagious energy prepared the audience for the headliner. The two warmed up the stage with a surprise cover of Janet Jackson and songs from Dizzy Fae’s first album, “Free Form Mixtape,” a collection of tracks that the artist started when she was only 16 years old. After one vogue dip and a chorus of twerking, Dizzy Fae ended the set with her song Booty 3000,” which left the crowd dancing and eager for more.

To switch the concert’s mood, a stage hand burned incense near the keyboards that only the first few rows could smell. By the time Toro y Moi took the stage, the crowd grew noticeably larger and they shouted song requests. Chaz Bundick received us with his usual calm demeanor and opened with crowd-pleaser “Mirage.”

Despite a couple of audio technical difficulties with the kick drum and bass, it didn’t take long to hear the new songs off the next album mixed in with some of the popular hits like “New Beat” and “Girl Like You.” To the audience’s delight, the latest tracks stay true to the band’s nature of ambient R&B chill wave. Near the end of October, Bundick revealed to The Fader in an interview that the upcoming album “‘is a response to how disposable culture has become and how it affects creativity,’” which can already be seen and heard in the music video for the recently released single, “Freelance.”

With luminescent spotlights, the show felt less like a concert and more like a meditative dance space led by Bundick. There was never a moment of stillness as the crowd swayed and bobbed their heads with their eyes shut, absorbing every lyric. Based off the audience’s reaction, “Who Am I” and “Monte Carlo” are going to be the songs to look out for in January.

One of the older songs requested, “Rose Quartz,” closed the show and to everyone’s dismay, the concert did not end with an encore. Probably because Bundick’s solo DJ set was to follow — to which Bundick reminded everyone that the night was just beginning.

Email Audrey Lee at [email protected].

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