Show Pics: Jon Hopkins @ Scoot Inn (4/23)

We dodged the rain. In fact, it was a perfect night, the heavy air transmitting sound well. Scoot Inn was an odd selection for a pure electronica artist like Jon Hopkins, what with its wood paneling and gravel dance floor, but fans showed up and put the venue at capacity right when Jon took the stage. It was a drifting set of ambient tones that would build to grooves and break back down again with a set list spanning years of albums and collaborations.

Orthy put down a DJ set before hand, merch was bought, the sun set and the yard moved. Pics and show notes to follow…

Ian’s set was an excellent appetizer for the headliner. House grooves, a little throwback and plenty of songs that had you trying to audio search. We talked for a bit after and he reminded me of the party that Learning Secrets is putting on at North Door featuring A Guy Called Gerald. Go, it will be rad.

Jon Hopkins calmly settles in and starts his work of pulling pieces together and manipulating audio to build the songs we want to hear. Starting with elegant tracks off of Singularity, the title track and “Emerad Rush”, then going a little more abrasive with “Neon Pattern Rush”. Accompanied by video back-projected on to the screen, fans were lured in for the evolution of the rest of the set that occasionally included dancers with synchronized lights. Instead of constant flow from track to track, there were breaks where tracks were set up and Jon would get back to work allowing the crowd’s applause at the end of the song or celebrate the start of their jam. “Open Eye Signal” was as transcendent as I had hoped. Zoned out, spine tingle.

It was cool that he did a couple of “bangers” by performing remixed tracks “Magnets and “Two Dancers”, during which Jon was quite animated dancing as hard as most in the crowd. “Light Through The Veins” was a perfect denouement before the crowd was released into the night.