Photos by Kelsey Winterkorn

Lynx opened for Shpongle at the Fox Theater in Oakland with her soulful vocals over drum loops and synths. The anticipation for Shpongle’s live performance was huge. This was the first time that British Simon Posford has brought his live performers to the west coast. Making music as both Shpongle (psybient/downtempo/world/tribal) and Hallucinogen (Psytrance), his US solo DJ sets are always well attended. This Live tour (with only two dates, the other show in NYC), sold out much larger venues quickly. Raja Ram, who does many chants and vocals for Posford’s tracks, stated that Shpongle is an umbrella term for feeling positive and euphoric emotions.

Raja starts off with a flute solo and chanting while a skillful male dancer entrances the crowd with classical Indian gyrations. Drummer Joe Russo was fantastic. He played a dizzying array of beats and tempos to carry the set across the many strong emotional extremes, with a very nonstop jam and jazz quality. Costume design was a big part of the show, with blacklights emphasizing the neon decor on outfits and masks that can be described as psychedelic meets tribal meets modern meets steampunk.

With more than seven musicians on stage and dancers appearing for a song or two, it felt akin to a loose Cirque Du Soleil show, complete with a rainbow human slinky performance. Eyes and ears were very stimulated! The sound is very complex, constantly morphing, with a nonstop energy, much like a movie soundtrack. Raja’s beautiful flute playing and the cellist were the standout sounds, creating a very mystical and spiritual atmosphere that lifted the sometimes silly aspects (unicorn dancer) into the audience’s imagination to be embraced with childlike glee. The crowd sang along to many of the songs, especially “I Am You”, and the they felt very much a part of the experience – throngs of ecstatic fans with colorful fabric twirling around.