Toro Y Moi
Tuesday 21 January 2014
The Hi Fi Bar, Melbourne
Image courtesy of Pitchfork
The Hi-Fi Bar in Melbourne was close to full for Toro Y Moi’s Big Day Out sideshow and his brand of funk-laced, feel-good, sun-drenched synth pop was perfect for a mild summer night.
Chazwick Bundick has released three studio albums under the Toro Y Moi name: Causes of This (2010), Underneath The Pine (2011) and Anything in Return (2013) plus EPs Body Angles (2009) and Freaking Out (2011) and the compilation of previously unreleased material June 2009 (2012). The last new music we heard from him under the Toro Y Moi moniker was the stunning tour-only 7” single “Campo” (also available digitally in Australia through Mistletone/Inertia).
Chazwick Bundick has released three studio albums under the Toro Y Moi name: Causes of This (2010), Underneath The Pine (2011) and Anything in Return (2013) plus EPs Body Angles (2009) and Freaking Out (2011) and the compilation of previously unreleased material June 2009 (2012). The last new music we heard from him under the Toro Y Moi moniker was the stunning tour-only 7” single “Campo” (also available digitally in Australia through Mistletone/Inertia).
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See the video above for live performances of "Studies", "Grown Up Calls", "Go With You" and "High Living", recorded on 27 February 2013.
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A frequent visitor to these shores, Bundick was last in Australia for Golden Plains in 2013 and this show was one of just two sideshows for him on this tour. Of Filipino/African American descent, Bundick hails from South Carolina and his stage name is made up of the Spanish words for ‘bull’ (toro) and ‘and’ (y), and the French word for ‘me’ (moi).
Often hailed as one of the main proponents of the chillwave genre, Chaz is also known for creating indie pop, funk, synthpop and electronic music, and some would say he is more a producer than a singer/songwriter. He also records under the names Sides of Chaz and Le Sins, and recently contributed vocals to a Chromeo track, so I think its safe to say he’s a busy guy. |
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The 27 year old was front and centre on the Hi Fi stage, armed with keyboards and gadgetry and backed by a four-piece band. They kicked off with “Harm in Change” and delivered the vibe I was hoping for from the get-go via melodic, sunny, indie pop with strong funk undertones.
For me, the standout tracks were predominantly those from Anything in Return, namely “Never Matter”, “High Living” (with it’s Beck-like production), “Grown Up Calls”, “Rose Quartz” (the clip for which topped our Best Videos of 2013 list), “So Many Details” and “Say That”. “Still Sound” (Underneath The Pine) and “Campo” were other highlights. |
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Image courtesy of spin.com
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Dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans, Chaz’s performance style was pretty understated and there were no distracting gimmicks. His band (who provided drums, bass, keys, guitar and other sounds emanating from technology I’m not familiar with) pretty much stayed in the background and Bundick didn’t say much to the crowd, just letting the music speak for itself. He moved with a natural coordination that tells you how much he’s feeling the music, and gave the impression that he’s never created a track without a pretty solid groove to it.
Bundick’s music is always melodic and the bulk of it is imminently danceable. Much of it evokes sunshine and beaches, which he seems to find amusing, telling Pitchfork in 2010 that he probably goes to the beach only once a year. Despite knowing this, the music last night still brought imagined beach parties in California or Miami to mind for me, along with images of kick-arse house parties from days gone by, providing a welcome bit of escapism on a Tuesday night. If you like to get your dance on, I’d highly recommend you catch Toro Y Moi next time you get the chance. Lex Cran 
Image courtesy of thisisfakediy.co.uk
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