Wednesday at SXSW marked the first of four days of the Pandora Discovery Den, an annual party held at The Gatsby on 6th Street – featuring a mix of well established and up-and-coming artists from around the world. Australia’s own Peking Duk helped kick off the celebration with a day focused on electronic music. Closing out with “High” – the number two song on the triple j Hottest 100 this year – the group also invited Benny from SAFIA on stage for their popular collaboration “Take Me Over”. SAFIA were also in town to play the iconic Austin, Texas based festival.
New York’s Lolawolf went on to open up the night showcase at the venue, with their synth laden jams. Their intoxicating frontwoman Zoë Kravitz put on a phenomenal performance through tracks like “Risky Business” and “Bitch”, which closed out the set.
Los Angeles artist Robert DeLong – who is no stranger to us at the AU – also played a stellar set, incorporating drums, screens, wii remotes and joysticks into a well crafted set full of energy and technically impressive musical splendour. The set included tracks like “Global Concepts”, which closed out the set, “Long Way Down”, a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You”, “Change (How You Feel)” alongside a few new tracks – previewing from his anticipated sophomore record.
Alongside Gorgon City and Swedish outfit Cazzette, who brought the venue to its curfew, Detroit DJ GRiZ proved an impressive find, with his saxamaphone skills adding a unique edge to his already well executed DJ style.
The Pandora Discovery Den continues on until Saturday. For more details head to: https://www.facebook.com/Pandora
Photos by Larry Heath
