It can be a hard task for an electronic music artist to stand out in such a crowded industry. But Sweater Beats has managed to take every single nugget of individuality and push it to the extreme. During the final stop in Portland of his 2016 tour, this young producer busted out all his unique bells and whistles in order to play one of the most memorable sets that crowd had ever seen.
But before we go to far into that hour and a half of bliss, we have to given mention to the opening acts. Different Sleep and Pels warmed up the crowd with styles none of us were expecting. Different Sleep had a live and laid back approach to future based music, blending in crisp samples and dreamy instruments. Pels followed after with an energetic set of rap music made memorable by its old school punch mixed with nu-school swagger. The music hardly had any chance to rest, as these artists almost went back-to-back to create a seamless flow throughout the night.
Once Sweater Beats took the stage, all bets were off. Playing everything live from the guitar to drum samples, it was an experience we had hardly ever seen before. It goes without saying that his cover/remix of “Hey Ya” was one of the best sing-along moments of the year. He built up the energy throughout the night to an all time high when his hit single ‘Better’ got intricately woven into the set. His upfront sound brought blasting synthesizers and killer guitar licks to the dance floor, and the crowd was loving the none-stop energy.
2016 was a great year for this guy, and it is safe to say that 2017 will be even brighter. He has so many ambitions, and we know he will pull each and every one of them off.
