It’s a rare treat when an electronic act comes to life in the way that Barcelona group Delorean did at Misissippi Studios. The band, which was headlining a double bill with Teengirl Fantasy, packed high energy and dancebility into their music with an ease that rivals that of a lot of local electronic acts in Portland. They were almost good enough to make up for the sheer lack of awe in their opener’s set.
Simply put, Teengirl Fantasy is a mediocre band. The dj duo does make some very nice electronic music, but nothing that really stands out to the ear. What they produce might be more suited to a club, not a concert venue. It was a tad ravey and quite a bit ambient, but lacking any real flair. In fact, the only people who seemed into their music were the performers themselves. A riled up crowd and some good dancing could have saved their set, but the crowd just stood there, with a few people feebly bobbing their heads and the rest making small talk. The real downfall for this group, and what really made them look like a joke, was their visuals. Projected on a screen behind them was what can only be described as a bad iTunes visualizer that transitioned into cheesy animations of a belly dancer surrounded by rainbows and Grecian pillars. It was beyond bad and distracted from the fact that their music, while not amazing, isn’t all that terrible.
Delorean, however, was a welcome change of pace after that neon-animated disaster. These four scruffy Spaniards, who recently released their newest album Subiza, have the same kind of energy you might expect from a Spanish Phoenix. Their music came at the audience as a wave of sound, stifling out anything else in the room. The performers were clearly very into it, and Mississippi Studios' small space provided an intimate atmosphere for the show.
Delorean's music is a good blend of ambient rock, psychedelic and danceable European electronics. The fact that they mix their electronics with real instruments, played live, gives their music a depth and live energy lacking from many other electronic groups. In addition, Delorean has mastered smooth transitions between songs, stopping only to thank the audience for coming out. For a few moments, lead singer Ekhi Lopetegi’s vocals sounded slightly flat and nasally, but that never detracted from the show’s overall sound.
By the end of their set, the crowd was worked up into a frenzy. There didn’t seem to be a single person in the crowd who wasn’t dancing and moving. Even their merch guy was moving around, making his table lamp into a make shift strobe. If this is what dance clubs in Barcelona are like all the time, then it might be time to move over to Spain and soak up some of their sunny electronics in the heat of a sweaty summer night.
