Few electronic artists have seen their stock rise as much as Mura Masa over the past couple of years, and that was evident as he packed The Novo in DTLA on Saturday night for his headline performance.
He’s got such a wide range of songs — he has the mainstream EDM bangers that are accessible to everyone. He has some niche-sounding instrumental stuff. One of my favorite songs of the night was this ambient song that sounded like the ice cream truck from the ‘hood.
But what mostly separates Mura Masa from the pack is he’s actually doing things on stage. He’s playing guitar, he’s banging on a variety of drums and drum pads. He’s even singing on a number of songs. And he brings a trio of live vocalists along for the ride, adding the kind of live flavor that is often missing from electronic shows.
He’s been in high demand — he’s even worked on songs with legendary funk band Chic, contributing to their first single in many years. When you’ve got the respect of legends like that, you know you’re doing something right.
Highlights of the night include “Complicated” (a new collab with NAO), “Love$ick”, “1 Night”, and the encore “Firefly”, which saw all three singers join him on stage. One of his vocalists Fliss had so much energy and was incredible at hyping the crowd. Don’t miss Mura Masa when he comes to your town!
Words by Mark Ortega
Photos by Tim Aarons
