SLOW MAGIC and DAKTYL at the Hoxton, Thursday, November 26. Rating: NN
Two acts that inject a bit of whimsy and live musicianship into EDM’s formula of endless builds and drops are Daktyl and Slow Magic, an anonymous performer who keeps his identity secret with a wolf mask. At the Hoxton, their attempts to circumvent bro-step cliché seemed earnest, but the result ultimately felt like same shit, different aesthetic.
The first English act signed to Diplo’s Mad Decent label, Daktyl offset his familiar, trappy drums with dreamy chords, Europop melodies and an overall sparkly production style reminiscent of Kylie Minogue or the Sound of Arrows. He slipped in the odd keyboard and guitar solo, but his increasing reliance on sputtering builds and drops made his pop songwriting overtures feel token as the set went on.
While Daktyl sequestered himself behind an altar of gear, Slow Magic created a sense of space and motion with a wind machine, a tasseled costume and his glowing mask, which looks like a cross between the forest spirit from Princess Mononoke and the Transformers logo.
He pounded away on two drums along to tribal rhythms and chirpy synths and vocal samples, impressing the crowd with his athleticism. And that’s about it. Despite the tightly conceived image, his hour-long set never felt like anything more than instantaneous after-work catharsis.
kevinr@nowtoronto.com | @kevinritchie
