Soulful electronica DJ duo and Lancaster natives Adam Kaye and George Townsend doused Tattoo in their signature house-tinged pop recently as Bondax. Their unique breed of garage-funk is distinguished by its eclectic soundscapes and melodic grooves. Reminiscent of Disclosure, the pair of 19-year-old producers brought Queen West a night of undeniably danceable and mid-tempo disco on Saturday, October 13.
Having started as bedroom DJs, the pair craft a sort of melodic garage funk that is not stereotypical to the average “parents’ basement producer.” The Bondax sound is one that reflects a maturity and control over its production, unprecedented for the genre. Kaye and Townsend’s synths boast a structural, sonic complexity that is conscious of contemporary sound, yet maintains its own integrity — marking the distinguishing factor of the duo.
Though their atmosphere is consistent with the sonic tropes of the commercial disco contemporaries currently ruling the underground of the industry, the pair’s original material has a cool and almost introspective emotionality to it. This distinctive facet of their production translated to positive vibes felt all around, which ultimately separates a Bondax performance from contemporaries on the Majestic Casual label, like Kygo.
Before Bondax took the stage, special guest Pomo set the tempo and spurred the audience’s energy with remixes by the likes of Snakehips, among others, which successfully engaged even those unfamiliar with the genre of the evening. As midnight drew closer, the venue began to fill and the milling audience gravitated from the bar to the stage, if not directly onto it.
Despite the pair’s isolation on a raised and gated stage, members of the audience were warmly welcomed to join the duo on stage and dance along to the shimmering and atmospheric curation that is a classic Bondax set. Between shifts on their Traktor hardware, both Kaye and Townsend took photos interchangeably with members of the audience. Truth be told, mere moments into the set, it became difficult to discern the performers from the audience — but the kids were all right.
