San Francisco – We love Skylar Spence. It’s hard not to. Ryan DeRobertis’s debut LP Prom King under the moniker (he formerly produced vaporwave tracks under the name Saint Pepsi, until the soft drink giant issued a cease-and-desist) was an easy favorite of 2015, blending zappy guitars and infectious electronic beats to create a colorful nu-disco sound that was as easy on the ears as it was on toes aching to be tapped. With Prom King, DeRobertis traversed the gap separating DJ and songwriter, and as a performer, he leaves little to be desired.
Skylar Spence took the stage as the proverbial “meat” of this past Thursday evening’s show at Oakland’s Fox Theater, sandwiched between two up-and-coming producers: local trap wunderkind Andrew Luce and French house producer Madeon (who served as the evening’s headliner). As all three sets differed stylistically, creating a variety that kept the evening afloat and stimulating – though most of the MDMA-laced teenagers that made up the majority of the crowd were already quite “stimulated” as it is – and while Madeon championed the headlining spot of the night (as well as most of the attention), it was Ryan DeRobertis’s energetic set that bridged the space between the two other bookending performers.
Alas, this time around, Skylar Spence was not surrounded by the full band he toured with last fall, immediately following the release of Prom King (that we so fortunately witnessed at the Treasure Island Festival last October), which was a real treat to see. However, even as a solo performer, standing behind a table cluttered with mixers and a laptop that coyly shadowed the standing microphone and electric guitar waiting with anticipation just behind, DeRobertis took full advantage of his singular presence on stage. His head and shoulders never stopped moving with the rhythm as the set progressed, like a corporeal metronome bathed in pale lights, keeping perfect rhythm for the attendees to mimic as they ecstatically moved their feet and upward-thrust hands to the beat.
As a solo performer, Skylar Spence did something quite interesting: he provided somewhat of a hybridized set. Parts of his time were spent DJing with digital equipment, though only, as it would seem, as a kind of interlude between the songs he performed live. Without the band behind him, he had to rely on pre-recorded sections of his Prom King tunes – most likely streamed in from his laptop – but at the same time, this allowed him to break free from the confines of playing a set song-by-song. And as any opening act would know, time is money. Every second onstage is spent trying to convince those who showed up early that they made the right decision in doing so. Lasting impressions are the jackpot when it comes to performing before a headliner, and with the forty minutes or so that DeRobertis was given, he made a killing.
Skylar Spence managed to fit eight of the eleven Prom King tracks into his short time onstage, including thumping crowd favorites “Can’t You See” and “I Can’t Be Your Superman” as early chapters, as well as the title track “Prom King.” DeRobertis played live electric guitar and provided live vocals for all of his own tracks, all while fiddling with knobs and banging keys on his laptop. Some of the instrumental tracks from Prom King were also featured – namely “Ridiculous!” and “Bounce is Back,” and as instrumental tracks they allowed for some playful mixing with other samples, mostly from the funk and disco genres (I definitely heard “Love Lights (You Can Lay Your Head On My Shoulder” by Conway & Temple at one point). For the end of the set, Skylar slowed it down a little with his softer material (love song “Fall Harder” and the 80s-laden “Affairs”), before closing it out with perhaps his most popular song (and the last he ever formally released as Saint Pepsi), “Fiona Coyne,” which by the end had the entire audience singing the earworm hook of ‘I’ll love you to the record stops!’ with drunken pleasure.
This was the third time I’ve seen Ryan DeRobertis perform. The first time was as a DJ when he was still Saint Pepsi, the second was with his full band last fall at Treasure Island, and this…well, let’s just say that he keeps continuing to surprise. I was skeptical when I didn’t see the whole band setup, but I should have had more faith. Skylar Spence has quite the bright path ahead, most likely constructed of those light-up dance floor tiles from Saturday Night Fever. But who knows? Maybe he’ll ditch the whole nu-disco thing altogether and start a different venture (though personally I hope he doesn’t do so completely). Either way, there will be plenty of shows like this to shake some booty at, so don’t be shy now.
Skylar Spence is currently on tour in the US with Madeon through late February, and will also be featured at San Diego’s CRSSD Festival taking place the first weekend of March. His debut LP Prom King was released last fall via Carpark Records.
For more information visit the Skylar Spence website or his Facebook page.
Corey Bell
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