New Zealand producer and rising artist known for his sensual textures and layered electronic arrangements, BAYNK (aka Jock Nowell-Usticke) transported the crowd at Teragram Ballroom to a dance party on a beach. Los Angeles crowds can be rather stoic at times, but that wasn’t the case Saturday night. The room was at a capacity perfect for letting the music move you.
But on a warm, sunny beach we were not. When not bathing in the blinding light of the LED frame within which BAYNK remained for the entirety of his performance, the room was often pitch black. BAYNK was shrouded in darkness within his picturesque performance space for the majority of the show, a square of lights occasionally silhouetting him from behind.
If you’ve never heard BAYNK, an apt description is the love child of the sounds of Mura Masa and Shallou – chill, at times glitchy, tropical edm. In fact, he’s collaborated with Shallou in the past. The perfect soundtrack for any sun-splashed day, BAYNK’s soundscape skews towards vibes you’d imagine of a poolside DJ. Which is fitting considering one of his most popular tracks, “Poolside”, is about just that. The dance-inducing jam was the second song played in the set.
Classic BAYNK hits like “What You Need” featuring NïKA and “Be In Love” were interspersed among new tracks and surprising covers and remixes to things like “Hotline Bling” by Drake and “Ms. Jackson” by OutKast. One of a slew of producers incorporating saxophone into their live show, BAYNK opted to use it sparingly to add flourishes to already existing melodies.
Words & Photography: Kirby Gladstein
