Photo by Dan Drufovka
by Kyle Taylor
With an almost entirely sold out Fall tour currently underway, Seattle production duo ODESZA made their way to one of our favorite Philadelphia niches, Johnny Brenda’s, on Wednesday, October 1st. The group’s sound melds elements of chillwave and synthpop in an eclectic upbeat style, covering everything from future bass to nu-disco.
The electronic duo recently released their second full-length album, In Return, before embarking on their Fall tour. Following ODSEZA’s debut album Summer’s Gone and the My Friends Never Die EP, the new album keeps up with the vibrant, atmospheric sound of its previous releases. Vocal sampling is consistently represented in the duo’s work. Tracks such as “For Us” provide glowing dance anthems blooming with energy, while tracks like “Kusanagi” sink deeper into melody, painting gorgeous soundscapes.
Johnny Brenda’s was a great fit for ODESZA (besides perhaps the fact that it was beyond crowded, but great music attracts many people, we all know this).With a lower level and upper balcony, the venue’s layout was perfect for getting a great view of the performance no matter your location.
The night started off with UK producer Ambassadeurs, who did a great job of warming the audience up with some fresh future bass tunes.
ODESZA then took the stage, backed by two large projection screens, and the room quickly filled in. ODESZA jumped right into the music, both members getting busy on electronic drum pads, giving the performance an extra live instrumental kick.
The night’s performance took the audience through ODESZA’s full musical library, heavily covering all three of the duo’s releases as well as various other remixes and singles. The visual aspect, coupled with ODESZA’s constant work on the drums and mixing created a fully live experience.
ODESZA – Website // Soundcloud // Facebook // Twitter
All photos by Dan Drufovka
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