more review/videos from P4K showcase @ Villain (Angel Haze, Hundred Waters, Death Grips, Daughn Gibson, METZ & more)

by Andrew Sacher

Angel Haze at Villain - 10/19/12 (via @wolverskulkbrecht)

You already know what I thought of Merchandise's set at the Pitchfork showcase at Villain in Brooklyn on Friday night (10/19). Here's a bit on the rest of the stuff I saw.

Rapper Angel Haze was on when I walked in and she was probably the best act I saw at the whole show. She delivers with a fast, fierce flow and is a way confident performer. She has a style that will definitely appeal to hip hop purists, eschewing the slow flow of cloud rap and only using pre-recorded vocals if it benefited the song, not as a vice. But though she ignores current trends, she isn't overtly a throwback rapper either. Angel Haze is just a refreshing reminder of the levels that rap can be taken, something that really comes across in her powerful new song.

Hundred Waters at Villain - 10/19/12 (via @twodegreesinbebop)

Up next was Hundred Waters, one of my most anticipated bands for this year's CMJ. I'm not trying to draw any grand conclusions about their signing to Skrillex's label, which I'm still scratching my head about, but I will say that after seeing them it makes a little more sense why he would be interested. Though their album reminds me of a slightly more electronic Joanna Newsom, they're a lot louder and bassier at their shows. There's a noticeable split on stage -- the two girls stay on the left and if it was just them, they'd sound like a forgotten psych folk duo from the late '60s, and on the other side of the stage, the three guys handle drums, bass, and synths, vibing like an edgy jamtronica band. It's a weird mix, but it often meshes really well.

Hundred Waters were followed by Le1f, who I had seen the night earlier at the Studio at Webster Hall. Le1f fit in a lot better on this lineup than he did with the mostly hardcore rap lineup of the Studio show, and the larger crowd were way more into him in this environment. I'm still more a fan of his head knockers and the slower ones wash over me a bit, but still a fun set to watch.

Daughn GIbson was up next, and like Hundred Waters, his strong point is his eclectic mix of sounds. He played mostly off of his debut album, All Hell, which came out earlier this year via White Denim (he's since signed to Sub Pop) and combines gothic country with downtempo electronic music. While other beatmaker/singers like James Blake prefer to sit at their piano and let the music do the talking, Daughn is a natural born frontman and couldn't help but perform like a melodramatic barroom singer.

Then Merchandise played, after which I stuck around for a few songs by Holy Other. His new album, Held, is one of my favorite electronic releases of the year and Holy Other is really on some next level shit, but admittedly isn't much of a live act.

After I left, the crowd was treated to sets by METZ, DIIV, Joey Bada$$, and Death Grips. You can watch some videos from the show below.

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Death Grips - "Takyon/Guillotine" at Villain - 10/19/12