Dan Deacon
South by Southwest Aftershots
Reviewed by Melanie Haupt, Fri., March 23, 2012
Dan Deacon
Beauty Bar Backyard, March 15I went into Dan Deacon's third or fourth South by Southwest set on Thursday night under the impression that he's a visionary in the field of electronic experimentation and left with the understanding that he's really a party act. That's not a bad thing, of course. I had more fun at Deacon's capacity set than at any of those I attended this year. Two songs in, Deacon, who plays on the same level as the audience rather than elevated onstage, declared a dance contest and instructed the audience to form a large circle. Deacon then issued an incisive set of instructions at the outset of the contest: "Rule Number One: Sassy as fuck at all times! Rule Number Two: Dancers must select the next dancers to compete! Rule Number Three: No cowards! Rule Number Four: Stop thinking SXSW is a clusterfuck and maybe next year it won't be!" While the music was enjoyable – all tweaked-out vocals, thundering live drums, and smudgy Blade Runner-esque synths – it was eminently forgettable. Fitting since most of those in attendance probably didn't remember much of anything the next day.
