Last Wednesday and Thursday November Quinn XCII + ayokay returned to New York! They were invited by Louis The Child to open for their shows at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg , where they did nothing but killed it.
This pair started out by being very good friends, living in neighbouring houses but soon realized they fit like a musical glove. Quinn XCII found a laid-back hip hop style that accompanied with ayokay’s tropical electronic sounds, created a very unique feel-good type of music.
As the lights dimmed, one could feel the tension of the room rising up. The crowd began to slowly move closer and closer to the stage, the more eager they were, the more they would come together. Lights began to flicker, which accompanied with the background music built up the hype for the duo’s entrance.
The clock hit 10:00 and the music exploded as the artists settled on stage. The first song we heard was “Kings Of Summer”, which the audience sang along to. The scheme of colors on stage both coming from the lights and the DJ booth’s screen were blue and purple, helping to create this easy yet energetic fun vibe. They followed up with “Never Done This” and “Full Circle”.
This duo is also known for the incredible covers they’ve done. They provide unique twists to famous songs that makes one feel like they are listening to them for the first time. They performed “Ocean Avenue” by Yellowcard, which the audience was eagerly singing along to with a smile on their faces. As the screen projected images of beautiful blue waves and different shapes, the song “Good friend” came on. “Fight gun” was after, then the heart felt “Stung”.
Although the sounds are groovy and the energy of the stage was never meant for the audience to be anything less than lively, the beautiful and powerful lyrics of the songs did catch one off guard. It was fun to be able to experience the energy and euphoria of a concert yet still let these lyrics sink in as one could reflect upon them.
One of my favorite Quinn XCII songs came on short after, “Something From Nothing” ft. GRMM. The sounds of this song are a little different then the rest. It combines a heavier tropical sound with heavy electronic trumpet sounds. A trumpet player was brought on stage, just when we thought it couldn’t get better, it did.
Next came the upbeat “FFYL”, allowing the crowd to release energy by jumping up and down. “Bootleggin’” followed, “Never Done This” and what was an incredible hour came to a conclusion with the amazing cover of “Riptide”.
What a night!