LIVE: Toro y Moi Twist the Night Away at the Teragram Ballroom (11/9/2015)

Toro y Moi, Young Magic, Bayonne
November 11, 2015
Teragram Ballroom
Los Angeles, California

As the calendar pages keep turning, Red Bull Sound Select’s 30 Days in LA series continues to gather steam, and Monday night’s Toro y Moi concert at Teragram Ballroom was another indication of the Sound Select program’s ability to create successful, unexpected lineups. With support from world electronica act Young Magic and ambient folk singer Bayonne (f.k.a. Roger Sellers), it was a night of funk perfect for steaming up the crisp November air.

Young Magic brought a dose of brooding energy to the Ballroom with their Asian and Middle Eastern–inflected rhythms. Lead singer Melati Malay and partner Isaac Emmanuel hail from Indonesia and Australia, respectively, and that international influence comes through in her auto-tuned incantations and the group’s tribal drumming.

With Chaz Bundick at the helm, Toro y Moi’s set was equal parts fuzzed out electronic beats, understated bouts of psychedelia, and irresistible moments of funk. From the sunshiney “Empty Nesters” (off this year’s What For?) to the sultry “So Many Details,” Bundick served up a consistent stream of goodness too heated to be called chillwave.

With his trademark round Lennon spectacles and his rolled–up highwater pants, Bundick fits the mold of beloved, soft-spoken nerd impeccably (although the fans shrieking in excitement over his “sexiness” likely wouldn’t put it so subtly). That mellow demeanor was a detriment at times, as his voice was almost washed away completely by the waves of music. Thin vocals aside, Toro y Moi always puts on an invariably satisfying show and last night was no exception. FL