Sound woes early at the Blue stage kept the early afternoon crowd waiting. Twenty minutes into Sohn’s allotted set time, the only sounds the fashionable crowd that had turned out for the Vienna producer could make out were Peelander-Z screaming about tacos all the way from the Black stage.
Christopher Taylor, the man behind the sobriquet, finally took the stage, replacing metallic Japanese punk with downtempo electro soul. Despite the late start, he packed in as much as possible in what little remained of the festival’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it sets of 35 minutes. Finally onstage, the trio wasn’t going to fuss about.
The singer, aided by another sound wizard and a guitarist, warmed up on the demure “Tremors,” following that aesthetic with the slow build of “Bloodflows.” Where the show hinges on Taylor’s aching, emotive tenor, the latter tune climaxed into an all-out electronic jam. After that, the threesome was in full flight.
“Artifice” ditched the build-up and headed straight for a full bass and synth battle right out of the gate. “Lights,” too, never had a mounting beat. Textured by an addictive melody, it kept the crowd engaged even without the gratification of a drop.
Similar to James Blake, Taylor possesses a velvety voice, a knack for worthy beats, and a facility for employing both to their best advantage. He’s careful not to rely too much on one or the other. “Lessons” stripped down to a quasi a cappella before reconstructing itself into a danceable groove.
Taylor ended his 25 minutes with shouts of familiarity. As he began “The Wheel,” a survey of the large young crowd made it clear they wanted more. At least Sohn made it count.
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This article appears in November 7 • 2014.