You should listen to Mura Masa (and look out for Fliss too)

This review was originally published on January 19, 2019 at Jotmagsb.com

Mura Masa, August 19, 2018

Think electronic dance music shows. I’m sure what comes to mind is shuffling 20-something year olds and a DJ pressing the play button on his laptop while bopping his head along to the beat.

Not at Mura Masa’s shows. Contrary to his sound, he’s more of a one-man-band than a DJ — an impressive one, nonetheless. And he brought a guest to help.

The dance music artist hit Summer Stage in Central Park last August. And instead of hitting keypads on a laptop, he hit the chimes, drums and a synth pad that encircled him on stage like a musical toy shack, which seemed to shield him from the outside world and keep him secure in the wonderful place that is his comfort zone. It became clear who the real star of the show was: Fliss, a vocalist who blessed the crowd with immaculate vocals and enviable sock hop dance moves.

But Masa didn’t mind lending the spotlight to her. It was pretty apparent that he was a shy guy. He quietly walked on stage in a thick T-Shirt on a sweltering New York summer day without saying a word. He opened with “Messy Love,” belting an impressive falsetto, but remained otherwise silent for the rest of the show. It was clear that he was truly talented. The boy fingered the bass and banged on the drums, chimes and synth pad all in one song without missing a beat. All that paired with his timid demeanor was quite refreshing, especially for an EDM artist.

And with Fliss, the pair formed a dynamic duo that did not disappoint. Fliss strutted across center stage wearing nothing but spandex shorts and a sports bra, and whipped her blue braids back and forth to fill in for Charli XCX on the hit song “1 Night.” She rapped every line to “Love$ick” so perfectly that the crowd didn’t even mind that the original vocals are A$AP Rocky’s. Every song she sang came with the most energetic dance moves I’ve ever seen. No crazy stunts, no exorbitant sets or prodigal accessories. Just dance moves, vocals, and whipping her braids. The concert’s headline transformed to “Fliss with Mura Masa,” not the other way around.

The best part of her performance was when she let Masa have the stage (although he never stepped out of his shack) and hopped over the barrier and into the crowd, where she twerked on audience members who encircled her with cheers and flashes from their iPhones. She was there to party, too. I’d never heard of her before that night, but as she stomped and swayed on the ground in front of me, I felt like I was in the presence of a celebrity. And I wanted more.

By the end of the night it was clear that Masa knows how to put on a show. Summer Stage is a free event, but I’d pay hundreds to see Masa perform again.

By the way, I googled Fliss immediately after the show. Turns out she had been accompanying Masa on tour since 2017. But she had no original songs and a small social media following, most of whom seemed to know her from their own Mura Masa concert experiences. And like me, they couldn’t get enough.