Concert Review: Tourist Brings Digitized Emotion To Music Hall of Williamsburg
On September 22, Tourist brought Music Hall of Williamsburg to DJ Heaven with his music that can only be describer as digitized emotion. What is digitized emotion? The synthetic sentiments that not every DJ can muster. You see it is that cross between a heart full of magic and the mixes a person brews to show that their music comes strictly from their soul.
When you think of DJs, you do not usually think of their emotions as much as the ones they give you. Yet, as I watched Tourist dance around and hover over his turn-table like he was a member of NASA launching the first rocket-ship to Saturn, I could see his literal connection to his music. Tourist has found a lot of success producing songs for other acclaimed artists like Sam Smith (Stay With Me). Yet, it is time for him to make it out on his own and develop his artistry for himself. That type of self-determination is what drips off the stage as you see Tourist bounce with an energy that could compete with the vast strobe lighting behind him.
Tourist’s concerts might be one of the few DJ’s that like, Flume or Big Wild, where you can witness the heart and spiritual connection they have with their sound. This could explain why his beats are so distinct to him They carry a mutual air of groundedness and universality that makes them seem as if they are coming from the dust to the light of a star. This is not an easy blend to create, but comes unsurprisingly from Tourist because, again, he mixes music from his heart. Thus, his ability to make you feel like you could dance through you life rather than walk, while also making you feel that you could stand still in his sound forever, is an achievement that can only be made from someone that sees music as spiritual expression.
It is always hard to describe what makes concert, especially one involving an electronic DJ. Yet, seeing Tourist at Music Hall of Williamsburg reminded me that at every core of both an artist and his performance is an eagerness to be seen through their sound. The idea may seem to clash. After all, sound and sight are two different senses. Still, when you hear Tourist’s U LP, which I have left on the bottom of this article, you will understand the statement above. From Run to Separate Ways, there is an overarching sense that you are witnessing the surreal life of William Phillips. A man who travels the world to provide his imagination to artists and audiences through what many call the food for the soul: music. Hence his concert, feels like a beautiful Wizard of Oz moment, where you meet the man behind the curtain to some of your favorite spectacles/singles on the radio.
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