After interviewing electronic producer and DJ Rinzen at the end of February and reviewing his latest album, Bend to the Light, at the end of March, I affixed my sights on experiencing his music firsthand. On April 20, I set out to the Concord Music Hall to bear witness to his performance as part of Sultan + Shepard’s Endless Dawn tour. To my delight, I was blessed to enjoy exceptional performances and a polite and well-mannered audience invested in the musical experience at hand.
The Concord Music Hall is one of my favorite venues throughout the city of Chicago. A general admission ticket gets you access nearly everywhere. Excellent! It’s not massive, neither is it small, offering a semi-intimate setting for patrons to find their preferred placement to enjoy favored artists and the music they present. There’s a middle area adjacent and betwixt to the front of the stage and the sound booth where the majority of attendees station themselves, which we will call the pit. Behind the pit are two platforms, offering views likeable to those in stadiums and theaters. A comfortable bench runs the length of the wall on the uppermost platform. Balconies above and to both sides of the pit offer elevated views, additional seating, and are accessible by stairwell on either side of the main arena. The right side balcony is a bit longer than the left, extending further than its counterpart and offering a different perspective of performers and on-stage-assets and equipment. Each balcony harbors its own bar, another bar beneath, and two more in the main arena make for a total of six refreshment centers. Bathrooms are located inside and on the right side of the venue to either side of the portico stairwells that provides access to the balcony.
Back when I spoke with Rinzen towards the end of February, we chatted a little bit about how artists approach performances. “There are a lot of producers who just want to present their music in a DJ format, and that could mean playing twelve of their songs in a row with some transition, or maybe no transitions at all. The show in Chicago with Sultan and Shepard is for me the chance to showcase more of my original music. It’s a shorter set, but it will be for a big crowd in a large theater.”
I would describe Rinzen’s style of songwriting as cinematic storytelling, merging house with techno elements to uplifting effect. Although not all in attendance were familiar with Rinzen’s catalog of music, I heard many react fondly to his mixing and selections as I moved throughout the crowd. From Bend to the Light, his latest and most seminal production, he played several selections, including my favorites, ‘Déjà vu’, and ending his set with ‘I Wanna Be Right’. Additionally, Let me share with you a few of my other chosen from Rinzen’s chronicles; ‘Triumph of the Human Spirit’, from his Forbidden City EP, ‘Search for Life’, from Exoplanet, and ‘Renegade’, his first original release that, in his words, “kick-started everything”.
About 1015pm, Rinzen concluded his spirited performance, giving way to a fifteen-minute changeover. Preparation began for Sultan + Shepard to take the stage next. As far as genres are concerned, I’d classify Sultan + Shepard as a progressive Canadian house duo. I wonder if they consider themselves in the same vein? Regardless, having never seen them before, I was eager to witness how all the additional equipment on stage would be utilized. Rinzen made use of typical Pioneer CDJs, but it looked like Sultan + Shepard were primed to display a musical experience encompassing more than just traditional DJ assets and techniques. As a matter of fact, this reminded me of another topic from the conversation I enjoyed with Rinzen concerning hybrid sets. “The idea with these shows is to bring some of the synths on stage and be able to add additional elements to songs.”
At 1030, piano strokes lilted before being joined by a pulsing, crescendoing house beat. Sultan + Shepard have ascended the stage, manning positions opposite each other. The sound system is humming at full effect, and as I sit taking notes amidst the right side balcony, I can feel the floor and seating shake. Sultan is garbed all in black, while Shepard’s wear is a total whiteout. An intentional element of the presentation? Probably. Darkness and light, dawn and sunset, lucem ac umbra. They introduce themselves, and simultaneously announce to the crowd that this is their first ever live tour, as well as their final performance of said tour. The groundwork for an exceptional finale has been laid, and they begin to soar.
One of the things that sets a performance of this type apart from others is instrumentalism and authenticity. In a world of bleep-bloop and computer music where AI generated beats are increasingly becoming normalized, it’s a pleasant reminder that music is best when humans make it for other humans. Because of the constantly skyrocketing production values of EDM presentations and productions, one can be forgiven for forgetting there’s actually a maestro in control behind the decks. Not the case, tonight. Throughout, and starting with Rinzen, the human element has been on full display. Sultan + Shepard each man a control station opposite one another, affixed with controllers and inputs for crafting and creating on the fly. At one point, I kind of thought they looked like a couple of characters out of a side scrolling fighter game like Marvel vs. Capcom, Mortal Kombat, or the Street Fighter series, ready to do battle. However, that’s merely my gamer brain making connections, and there is nothing but camaraderie shared on stage between these two. At points throughout their set, they meet in the middle to collaborate with guitar and keyboard, injecting into the show and presenting the audience with a different musical dynamic from the electronic norm.
Throughout, the night, I noticed spectators heavily engaged with the efforts from the artists on stage. That’s one of the benefits of only scheduling two performances. For shows and concerts that offer multiple acts beyond four, patrons trickle in slowly. For tonight, folks showed up promptly to catch as much of the action they had paid for as possible. As well, I truly appreciate politeness in a crowd. I had duties to attend this night, taking pictures and jotting notes, and when I asked to slide into vantage points to capture shots, folks were gracious to give me both space and time. I never lingered longer than a few minutes, I have little interest in disturbing other people’s experiences. Towards the end of the night, I gave up my spot on a balcony rail to a young lady and her compatriot, who were earnest for a better view. Let’s not forget to treat each other with respect when sharing experiences and spaces. Through kindness and understanding, we elevate one another.
Though it was a show that doesn’t typically fall within my electronic tastes (dubstep and glitch-hop, baby!), this was a concert that left me feeling quite fulfilled. Not only for the opportunity to craft a hat-trick of coverage (artist interview, album preview, concert review) for Rinzen, but as well to experience a different presentation and performance than I’m generally accustomed to liking. It’s good to get out of one’s comfort zone from time to time and witness musical landscapes other than what we regularly consume. With that in mind, if you’re interested in exploring more about Rinzen or Sultan + Shepard, you can check out their websites at rinzenmusic.com and sultanshepard.com.
Be well, be successful. Bear Swiftly.
–Electro Scribe–
