Fakear Helped Brooklyn Find it’s Chakra

BUSHWICK, NY – Neither thunder, nor lightning, nor flash flood warning, nor tornado advisories would stop fans of French producer/dj Fakear, from filling up Elsewhere, a recently opened concert space in the heart of Bushwick, NYC. Popular in his native France and across Europe with nearly a million monthly listeners on Spotify, Fakear brought his innovative music Stateside once more.

He’s supported acts such as Bonobo and label-mate ODESZA, each of whom have broad international followings. Fakear’s own fan-base is growing here in the US and I’m a proud recent member of the contingent. I was searching through various musical channels for some new yet unique electronic music and happened to stumble upon Fakear’s diverse melodic sounds that caught my ear immediately. So when I saw that he was playing in Brooklyn, I knew I had to make my way to cover the show.

When I arrived to the venue and anchored a spot by the stage, I got the feeling I was somewhere in an underground dance hall in Paris due to my unfamiliarity with the venue, and all of the French being spoken around me. Fakear appeared on stage at exactly 10pm as scheduled, which prompted the crowd to tightly pack as close to the stage as possible. Surprisingly, the Frenchman began his set with music from an older release, rather than begin with “Prelude” from All Glows, his newest album. He played an assortment of selections from his various EPs and played almost two albums worth of music to a highly energetic and dancing crowd in the heart of Brooklyn.

What makes Fakear’s music stand out to me is the diverse influences that can be heard in every song. African drum beats would flow into Indian/Far East Asian sounds that received electronic tones and bass drops. The Indian music influence can be heard in many of Fakear’s songs, as his persona and subsequently his music contains many references to Karma and Chakra.

He himself was very calm throughout the show, and only really engaged the audience by putting his hands together to make a “blessed” sign as a matter of respect for them. However, making the music on his computer and sound pad, he was able to showcase the uplifting and unique dance tunes with no other instrumental accompaniment. The audience particularly enjoyed some of the standout singles from All Glows, such as “Sacred Feminine” and “Lost in Time.”

Fakear was a pleasure to listen to in person, and no bad weather could have stopped me from catching his energetic and unique dance sounds in my city. I highly recommend seeing Fakear live on his current US and Canada tour.

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