At Pitchfork, Jamie xx incorporates Chicago house sounds in first local solo show
One of the most entertaining elements of Saturday’s headlining performance by British artist, producer and DJ Jamie Smith, in his guise as Jamie xx, didn’t even take place on the Red, Green or Blue stages.
This year at Pitchfork, a massive VIP viewing tower overhangs the soundboard at each of the adjacent Red and Green stages, making it difficult to walk from one to the other despite their relative proximity, with an intricate network of guardrails meant to separate Pitchfork’s 1% from the general admission hoi polloi.
De La Soul’s Posdnuous poked a little fun at the large towers from the Red Stage Saturday afternoon. “What is that middle section? Is that VIP?” asked the rapper out of seemingly genuine curiosity as the crowd booed.
But with much heavier crowds present Saturday in Union Park, the true impact of the installation started to manifest itself as fans began to traverse the festival grounds in an effort to find a decent spot from which to watch Carly Rae Jepsen’s performance on the Red Stage, which ended just five minutes prior to the start of Jamie xx’s headlining slot on the nearby Green Stage, with genuine frustration apparent as fans literally walked around in circles.
Following a performance this past April at Coachella, Pitchfork marks just the second solo stateside performance for Jamie xx, architect of indie rockers The xx, ahead of a Brooklyn set scheduled later this week.
In the 1980s, Chicago artists and DJs pioneered what would become known as house music, and the genre’s four-on-the-floor beat was on display throughout Smith’s 75-minute headlining DJ set.
Smith uttered nary a word on stage Saturday at Pitchfork as he manipulated sound in real time on stage, with the festival throng dancing along accordingly.
While Pitchfork isn't exactly known for its stunning visuals, fans nevertheless watched from a nearby high-rise rooftop as a full moon formed at dusk over Union Park, with fans batting around balloons as the on-screen imagery moved from black and white to color late.
“Music is the answer,” came the lyric as Jamie xx incorporated a bit of DJ Pap’s “Its the Music.” “It’s the answer. It’s the music.”
