sango, yung towfu & rochelle jordan

paradise rock club | boston, ma

11.8.2024 | 8 pm

lineup: @towfu @rochelle_jordan @sango_

do you like dancing with a modest yet very energertic crowd of 20-something-middle aged r&b/hip hop heads? this concert is the one for you. i had not heard of yung towfu, rochelle jordan, or sango before attending this concert, and left feeling uplifted by the hypnotic and delightingly rythmic fusion of r&b, hip hop, neo-soul, brazilian funk, house-influenced music, and afro/afro-latin beats i experienced.

it began with yung towfu, a boston local dj and producer known for his collective all you can eat llc. he came on stage promptly at 8pm, and procceded to deliver a solid dj set with traditional club bangers, new hiphop sounds, older r&b classics, and some modern latin funk and pop bops. in his transitions, he maintained the suspense of a good dj, slowly and masterfully cluing us into the song he was about to play next. the crowd, although only made up of around 150 people, maintained a lively, out on the town, club-like energy. they swayed to the music, singing the lyrics if they knew them. although yung towfu did not engage with the crowd much, their energy and enjoyment remained infectious.

next was rochelle jordan, a british-canadian r&b artist who is most well known for her work with kaytranada. followed by an introduction from her angelic female dj, she took the stage wearing an oversized flowy coat, which she swished from side to side as she swayed back and forth effortlessly to her first number. her ethereal voice, accompanied by her electronic, r&b inspired dance instrumentals captured the crowd instantly. as she strutted confidently and gracefully across the stage, taking pauses to dance, the crowd's eyes and hearts followed her. she started with more chill songs, and ended with her higher-energy club tunes. from start to finish, her stage presence was mystical and enveloping and her sound was both hypnotizing and electrifying.

last but not least was sango, the main act. sango is a music producer from seattle, wa known for blending dance music with jazz and soul influences, working within house, techno, and hip-hop genres. he has worked with many well known artists such as drake, tinashe, bryson tiller, pinkpantheress, smino, and wale. his sound is heavily influenced by the genre of brazilian funk, as well as his main inspirations, flying lotus and kaytranada. he kicked off his set by playing a handful of the songs he produced for other artists, such as amen by drake ft teezo touchdown, in my room by frank ocean, blkswn by smino, and boca raton by bas and a$ap ferg. much to the dismay of crowd's heartstrings, he played frank ocean's cover of at your best (you are love), which he also produced. sango filled the remainder of the show with his popular discography interspersed with dj mashups. he masterfully used brazilian funk beats to weave together popular club bangers, and put his own, latin/afrobeat inspired spin on classic hip hop, neo-soul, and r&b tracks. he went from higher energy sounds like lil wayne's mrs officer to solum tunes like yebba's heartbreak by drake. sango knew his audience, primarlily consisting of non-white millenials and gen x-ers looking to dance and enjoy some quality music.

i gotta say, this show did a great job creating an enjoyable, club environment, with minimal production value and an enegeretic yet laid-back atmosphere.

not a bad way to spend a friday night!