Empress Of at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (19 May 2016)
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June 1 Barcelona, ES Barts
June 2 Barcelona, ES Primavera Festival June 4 Copenhagen, DK Distortion Festival June 5 Berlin, DE Berghain Kantine June 6 Hamburg, DE Turmzimmer June 7 Brussels, BE Botanique June 8 Paris, FR Pop up Du Label June 10 Porto, PT Primavera Festival June 12 London, UK Field Day Festival June 13 Manchester, UK Guilvers June 14 London, UK Moth Club June 16 Amsterdam. NL De School June 17 Hilvarenbeek, NL Best Kept Secret Festival July 15-17 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Festival
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Energy beverage drink Red Bull currently sponsors a monthly music series in several cities called Red Bull Sound Select that brings acts, both up-and-coming as well as established, into smaller clubs, for a reduced admission with pre-event RSVP.
For May in Minneapolis/St. Paul, the headliner was Los Angeles-based electronic pop artist, Empress Of who put on a 40 min. performance that showed how much music a single person can create in a live setting.
This installment of the series was curated by local label Totally Gross National Product, who boasts an impressive array of area artists ranging from Poliça to Fog to Solid Gold and others.
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RONiiA
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One of those label artists was opener RONiiA, who has recently put out an EP called Sisters. The three-piece includes singer Nona Marie Invie (of Dark, Dark, Dark), Mark McGee (of Marijuana Deathsquads) and Fletcher Barnhill (of Joint Custody) and mostly plays sparse and somewhat downbeat electronic music with vivid lyrics.
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Dizzy Fae
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The middle act was 17yr old newcomer Dizzy Fae, who just has a small handful of songs to her name at this point, but is quickly gaining local buzz. Backed by DJ So Na, Fae brought a dreamy electronica tinged with R&B to such songs as ‘Color Me Bad’ and ‘Complexion’.
Fae impressed many in the crowd (handfuls were there specifically to see her, it was obvious), even Lizzo, who was also present and “feeling good as hell” (though she didn’t perform). Fae closed with the unreleased ‘Aftermath’ and any fans of FKA Twigs or Morcheeba, are advised to check her out.
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Empress Of
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The stage was then cleared and set for the headliner, Empress Of (aka Lorely Rodriguez), armed with not much more than a simple Akai MPK225 25-key Midi Controller, a laptop, and basic electronic percussion. The 25yr old (who looks half her age) jumped about in a black mid-length skirt and fully buttoned black blouse, which resembled a private school outfit.
Playing much of her debut album, Me (XL Recordings/Terrible), Rodriguez skillfully segued each song into the other, often using clipped versions of parts of more familiar songs by the likes of Beyonce, Prince, Queen, and others, to help transition into the next.
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Setlist
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‘Need Myself’, in particular, was a fervent dose of self-dependent lyrics set to a throbbing beat that definitely caught the audience’s ear. There was a pop feel to most of the songs, which were also sonically adventurous and somewhat experimental, with diary-like, confessional lyrics, and all coming from the work of a single person on stage, though sounding like a full band.
‘Woman is a Word’ brought a message of empowerment, ‘Make Up’ was about making (and breaking) your own rules of life, and set closer, ‘How Do You Do It’ brought a potential obsession to life in the form of playful synth cutting through a driving rhythm.
From the crowd’s response, they seemed to gain wings of their own from the performance with most in the front dancing the entire set, and Empress Of is just learning to fly – where things take her is worth following.
The Red Bull Sound Select series continues on June 18 with a more urban vibe, featuring sets from Atlanta’s Lil Yachty as well as Jace (Two-9) and Drelli, with additional DJ sets, curated this time, by Greenroom Magazine.
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Empress Of at Amsterdam Bar and Hall, St. Paul (19 May 2016) |