We clapped for a man who had eaten four hamburgers, someone from deep in the crowd. Loko Ono’s drummer Jason Adam picked him out.

That was after vōx’s (pronounced “wokes”) opening set, which the audience gave a wide berth for. She ended on the floor after escaping from a sheer curtain, shadows of lancet arches blocking out flowers as she became a voice and nothing more.

And in the end, Jason and Kathleen Adams ended on the floor too, turned into some jumbling mess of limbs after recalling tales of a primitive world. A rhetorical question fell on self-conscious ears—most people were not willing to dance. But that didn’t undermine Loko Ono’s performance; it was quite clear they did not give a fuck either way.

By the time Miya Folick carved out her stage, fans were lining the ramparts of Non Plus Ultra. Formalities first: Folick revealed the music video for “Pet Body”, which also debuted at 2015’s CMJ Music Marathon. She watched on from the sidelines with her crew and Nick Ventura (Froth, HOTT MT), subbing in with his faded fiesta red Jaguar.

Minutes later, Folick was staring at the sea of strange darlings, head submerged in tessellations of light. We nearly suffocated on neighbors’ small talk until she cranked the fuzz way up and blew the room out. Made it sound large and vast like the ocean. She had no trouble adjusting; it was clear as the first time we saw her that the singer was in her element no matter the crowd. All she needed was a crowd.

You get a second chance next week at Girlschool Collective’s collab with San Pedro’s Third Thursdays Live, minus Loko Ono/plus Gavin Turek, Dot and DJ Suzie Strong. - Ryan Mo, photo by Rachel Collins

The life of the salaryman is dead in Shinya Mizoguchi, the Japan-to-Los Angeles producer/multi-instrumentalist with roots in jazz, soul, and R&B. Saved by the grace of Low End Theory after years locked in a cubicle, Mizoguchi's project starRo made its first digital footprints with the Vib collab single "I need you" — since then he's taken strides with future music collective Soulection and supported Chet Faker on the rapper's 2014 tour. Last year was especially momentous for Mizoguchi: he dropped the debut EP Emotion in February, performed with Japanese instrumental rock band toe, and flew out for a winter tour in Asia that touched Manila, Fukuoka, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Jakarta.

Enter the present: starRo's recently released single, featuring kouhai producer/singer/songwriter One T, marks a change in direction. Says Mizoguchi in a Facebook post, "I am excited to show my love to funk, garage, pop music and 80's synth soundscape in this song."

From slap bass to sawtooth delicacies, modulating pulsations to indelible vocals, we can honestly say: we feel that love.  

Listen to "Relapse" and watch starRo's live band performance this Friday at The Lyric Theater with Jarell Perry, VŌX, and guest DJs Sosupersam and NALA. - Ryan Mo

Early last year, we were enchanted with singer-songwriter vōx and her noteworthy single "Money". As we await for more new music this year, the art pop project of Sarah Winters is making the sporadic appearance to remind us of her mesmeric live performances. Winters will be sharing a bill at the Bootleg this next Monday, February 1st alongside AKW and Lena Fayre. 

Listen to "Get Down", which she just released this past month via her official soundcloud page. 

The artful soundscapes of vōx, the brainchild of Sarah Winters, put her in a new league of songwriters stretching the limits of pop conventions. Her second single, "Money", is a thoughtful, confident stride forward that features a frantic undercurrent of layered textures lurking behind her vibrant, weathered vocals. 

"Money" will be featured on her up-and-coming EP "Put The Poison In Me", which is due out later this Spring.