Concert Reviews

nafla at the ERR;OR Showcase SXSW 2019

MKIT RAIN Closes the ERR;OR Showcase with a Bang

There was a lot of expectation for the ERR;OR Showcase. With the lineup it was easy to believe it was going to be quite a spectacle. Some of the performances were just that: exciting, tantalizing, outrageous. Others… not so much. When it came time for MKIT RAIN to hit the stage, there was a tangible anxiousness in the crowd. As it turned out, the crew was the perfect way to close the evening.

Colde at ERR;OR Showcase; SXSW 2019

Colde Invites Us to His WAVY World at SXSW

There are few artists who live up to the mystery they project on camera. I can say unequivocally Colde is such an artist. It’s more than just the signature cap he pulls over his head (a seeming trend among artists of this new wave of R&B crooners from Korea).

He’s completely wrapped up in the persona. His aura is tinged blue, thus the deep purple hue he emits under the harsh red stage lights. As the third act of ERR;OR NYC’s showcase at SXSW, the mood of the night changed completely when he stepped up to the mic.

Enigmatic Energy

Colde is one of the least insistant artists I’ve ever seen perform live. That is to say he comes on to the stage quietly, without much fanfare. He slides up to the microphone, gripping it in one hand while he uses the other to anchor himself to the stand. As understated as his entrance, his voice is even less insistent. His is a cool tone, something as heavy doused in blue as the man himself. So when he begins to sing, the smoothness of “Shhh” lulls the audience into a dreamlike trance.

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Of course, this wouldn’t be the case for the entirety of his set. But then that’s the whole point of who he is, isn’t it? This artistic duality. He enters into your psyche like a whisper on the breeze. A memory flickering in your mind of something warm and comfortable. But everything changes when he removes his jacket.

Revealing what appears to be a pink-ish velvet shirt underneath, things start to literally heat up (probably as much for Colde as for his captive audience). He launches into more of his rap-focused fare.

Colde & KHAKII

He brings on to the stage a young man by the name of KHAKII, one of the hypest of hype men I’ve ever actually seen from South Korea. He’s totally invested in the audience, perhaps slightly more so than the man he’s there to support. Of course, Colde can’t just let that slide. He gets more involved with the music, the audience, the entire experience as his set progresses. Thus KHAKII did his job: hyped everyone up, including the main act.

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For 40 minutes, Colde and KHAKII exchange lyrics like they’re having their own cypher right there on stage. They dance like they’re out on a Saturday night at one of Itaewon’s hottest clubs. While they don’t really stop too long between songs to have much of a rapport with the crowd, that doesn’t take away from just how energetic everyone is throughout their entire set. After all, the point of the show is the music, not having long conversations with the crowd, right?

When they get to my favorite song from his “WAVE” EP, “SPACE,” the audience are beside themselves with the thunderous energy Colde and KHAKII have brought out in each other.

It’s All About the Music

The music is the driving force this night. Though Colde’s set starts with the softness of a lover’s caress, it ends with the stage rocking. The speakers vibrate with the residual bass still left lingering long after they leave the stage.

Colde seems to be more at home on stage nowadays than he perhaps was just a couple years ago. There’s a confidence there that has nothing to do with ego. It’s all about knowing that he is enough as an artist. The audience is with him. It will follow him wherever he goes, and he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder to make sure someone’s there. The way he handled the stage during the ERR;OR showcase there’s no doubt fans will follow him to the ends of the earth and back.

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Written by Cy
Photographed by Cy
Edited by Lena

Epik High "Sleepless In __________" Tour 2019, Emo's Austin

Dear Epik High, Thank You

As someone who writes a lot of critique, there are times when you just don’t know what to say. Words quite literally fail you. This is especially true for moments when an experience leaves you so utterly awe-inspired, so emotionally moved the prim professionalism of a music journalist seems petty. This is what happened to me following Epik High’s Austin stop of their North American tour. At times like these there’s really only one thing to say:

Thank you.

XXX Korea Spotlight at Austin City Limits

XXX Are Understated Yet Powerful: SXSW Korea Spotlight

There’s a certain amount of pride in seeing artists you’ve watched grow get the recognition they deserve, even in small ways. XXX debuted at SXSW performing at the ScratcHouse, a medium-sized venue that houses a stage big enough for a DJ table and a back patio. Fast forward two years. They’ve matured in both sound and musical vision. Their growth doesn’t go unnoticed by the organizers. They land a spot on the largest stage for any Korean act at the festival: the Korean Spotlight hosted by Austin City Limits at the Moody Theater.

We Want You Tour 2018 (poster)

San E and Mad Clown’s We Want You Tour 2018 in New York

On April 6th, Mad Clown & San E made their second stop at the Highline Ballroom, New York, as part of their month-long “We Want You” Tour.

After much anticipation, I was beyond excited to finally attend Mad Clown & San E’s We Want You Tour in my hometown, New York City! I arrived at the Highline Ballroom around 6:30PM, and walked into their ongoing rehearsal. San E, Mad Clown, DJ Juice, and Sobae were all on the stage: checking their mics, the timing of transitions, and quality of the projected videos. I was impressed with the level of thorough preparation by the artists and staff, and could not wait for the concert to officially begin!

The meet & greet fans trickled in about 30 minutes later, and it was heartwarming to see such a relaxed, open atmosphere. The artists invited fans, one by one, to come sit with them and simply hang out. All the meet & greet fans were able to not only get a photo with all the artists, but also to have genuine conversations before the show. I was humbled to have Sobae and San E thank HiphopKR for our various coverage, and was even fortunate enough to get my ‘Anything Goes’ album signed by Mad Clown.

After the meet & greet, the artists went backstage to get ready, and the rest of the audience entered the cozy concert venue. I situated myself front and center, and eagerly waited for the concert to begin. Sobae took charge of the opening performance, with her recently released second single: ‘Homegirl‘. A humble, sweet artist, and despite it being her first collaboration tour, she took the stage in natural confidence. She made a special shoutout to all the strong females in the crowd, and it was uplifting to have her dedicate the song to the audience as her “homegirls.”

After Sobae’s opening, DJ Juice spun a quick flashy intro for our main artists: San E & Mad Clown! The audience burst into laughter and cheers as San E & Mad Clown stormed onto the stage in these outlandish animal print coats:

The two opened with their first collaboration single, ‘Sour Grapes’. To complete the look, Mad Clown even threw fake money with the faces of both artists on it.

San E x Mad Clown bills

Afterwards, there was a jam-packed back and forth between Mad Clown and San E, each performing a solo verse. In fact, they planned a contest format, and asked fans to cheer for who they thought performed better. The audience and I clearly had a blast shouting their names and seeing their reactions. For watchers of Show Me The Money, both artists showcased the best of their best verses from the show!

Namely, Mad Clown’s famous “ear-piercing” rap for the guerilla showcase mission on Show Me The Money 2 was recreated for the concert, and the cheers following were equally “ear-piercing.” Personally, it was amazing to hear such power coming from such a reserved person. Even during rehearsals and my interactions with him, they were limited to a few quiet words. Yet, his rapping, magnified when heard live, was something that made me freeze in awe. To my pleasant surprise, he even performed a song from his first album, ‘Get Busy’. With my signed copy of the album nested in my purse, I couldn’t help but to feel emotionally charged. Mad Clown definitely knows how to rile up his fans. Even when making comments throughout, he was more confident with Korean, but would shyly throw in English–making the crowd go crazy. His interaction with the audience was so wholesome!

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On the complete other end of the spectrum, San E’s wild unchecked energy brought such positive vibes throughout the concert. He set the bar for our reactions. I love when artists are in their happy place and loving what they are doing–San E seemed to be doing just that. He was the person to make the jokes to the audience, to jump around all over the stage, and to bring it all together. In the middle of the concert, he surprised me by asking me to translate the exchange between him, Mad Clown, and DJ Juice. Honored, I (awkwardly) explained that San E and Mad Clown would do rock-paper-scissors for who would perform next because it would be boring to have everything scripted. An experience I’ll never forget, I watched the rest of the concert in a slight daze.

Of course, we couldn’t go home without San E and Mad Clown performing their newly released single: ‘Butterfly‘. The two artists taught fans how to dance to the song, and gave out specially signed singles to audience members who were the best dancers. Everybody in the crowd was flailing their arms, shaking their heads, and singing along. It was a fun, and in the strangest way homey, exercise.

Lastly, the best way to end the night was the encore performance: where San E and Mad Clown dressed up as each other, performing ‘Sour Grapes’; but this time, they performed each other’s verses. I was so busy laughing that I didn’t even get to take a decent picture.

Overall, I was so happy with the concert! It was very well-prepared with many little skits planted throughout. A packed two hours, I loved the chemistry between Mad Clown’s careful cautiousness and San E’s uncontainable energy–although their personalities don’t seem to overlap all too much, perhaps that’s what makes them such a well-balanced, amazing duo!

Without a doubt, I know this tour is already and will continue to be successful. That being said, the tour will be ongoing until the end of this month–grab your tickets now!

We would like to thank Bluenote Entertainment and Clossed Sessions for providing the press pass, as well as Kamoflage Entertainment for organizing a great event!

 

Featured tour dates & locations:

Boston–April 15 at The Middle East
Dallas–April 26 at Trees
Chicago–April 29 at Park West

[x_button shape=”rounded” size=”regular” float=”none” href=”https://www.kamostudio.com/wewantyou-tickets” target=”blank” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover”]Tickets[/x_button]

All presented by Kamoflage Entertainment: Kamoflage Entertainment is proud in providing a multifaceted array of creative contents ranging from concerts, artist build, festivals and videography. Prior acts produced include Dynamic Duo, Epik High, Sean John, Tritonal, Porter Robinson, Carnage, etc.


Article edited by Lena