Martin Folb and Josh Mayer from PANTyRAiD.
Photo Courtesy of PANTyRAiD Music
The lights flash quicker as the anticipation grows. The beat is speeding up, and everyone in the audience is bracing for the imminent bass drop, building up to the split second that will leave the venue in blackness. It occurs, and for that blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment, the entire stage is pitch black before PANTyRAiD is lit up again, performing in a frenzy only seen in the electronic music and rave scene.
Oxford residents know the feeling all too well. Popular EDM (electronic dance music) groups like Hyper Crush, Passion Pit and Bassnectar have performed to sold out shows in Oxford, demonstrating a clear demand for the music — a demand that PANTyRAiD is hoping to capitalize on for their performance tonight at the Lyric.
“We’ve been making hip hop vibes since we started producing,” Martin Folb, PANTyRAiD cofounder, said. “We have a huge body of work to play from in a genre that people are really loving right now.”
PANTyRAiD is the result of a collaboration between two EDM artists: MartyParty’s Folb and The Glitch Mob’s Josh Mayer. They met in Costa Rica while on a tour break from their respective groups and soon found themselves hard at work in Folb’s garage on the beach.
“We knew immediately we were onto something special,” Mayer said. “Soon afterwards, we made ‘The Sauce’ album and the rest is history.”
“The Sauce” was followed by “Superior,” a four song release to tide fans over until the release of their follow-up, “Pillowtalk,” in May — five years after the release of PANTyRAiD’s original album.
Electronic dance music, characterized by heavy synth manipulation and deep bass drops, has been increasing in popularity since the late 1990s, but it was not until recently that the genre exploded into mainstream music, riding the coattails of massively popular artists like David Guetta, deadmau5, Skrillex and Kaskade. This led to a tremendous spike in the number of groups and DJs trying to make it in the genre, but PANTyRAiD focuses on original music and participating with the crowd to stand out.
“We don’t rely on hot tracks from other producers to fill out our sets, but rather always play our own music,” Folb said. “We also really get into our show and dance like crazy ourselves, while mixing the music back and forth between us in a kind of orchestrated blend that is very unique.”
At first glance, the duo does not command much stage presence. Their sleeves of tattoos and urban-inspired fashion are typical of artists in the genre, and they would blend in at any skate park in America. But looks are not what matters for a great show, said Kallie Mosely, senior forensic chemistry major.
“They get into the music more than any other artist I’ve seen,” Mosely said. “They’re having as much fun as the audience is, which definitely improves the experience. Their dedication helps them differentiate themselves from every other electronic group nowadays.”
PANTyRAiD understands the challenges facing music artists today, with more and more critics lamenting the downfall of the music industry among plummeting album sales. The proliferation of artists self-releasing over the Internet has especially affected the electronic genre. Although EDM groups are hugely popular live (Swedish House Mafia sold out all eight tour dates in minutes last year), album sales are low, even when compared to other genres.
“We are seeing the effects of the Internet generation, social media and hype and a huge over saturation of music and performances,” Folb said. “It’s just the nature of hyper-accessibility and the fact that anyone can make music and release it to the world. The big tunes get hyped up and then we all get sick of that sound and look for a new one. This is particularly true in the EDM industry.”
The group does its best to be unique, starting with the unusual — both in word choice and capitalization — name of the band: PANTyRAiD. Mayer came up with the name soon after the two started producing together, and credits the band’s female-driven fan base and preference for “sexy hip hop and very melodic music” as inspiration.
The band’s continued popularity is surprising, particularly because of the five year gap between albums. Folb cites the atmosphere of PANTyRAiD’s shows as a factor that keeps fans coming back and new ones coming in.
“Ever since we started, we have been basically doing the same thing,” Folb said. “Creating the atmosphere for the sexiest possible dance moves. We are not really into the whole DJ worship thing. It’s more about a dance party where we all just hang out and have a good time.”
The band’s commitment to upbeat dance music is what retains fans like Travis Offield, senior chemical engineering major.
“They have mastered the art of keeping people moving,” Offield said. “People dance the entire set nonstop because PANTyRAiD knows how to work a crowd and keep them involved. You leave their show absolutely exhausted, but knowing that you just experienced something special that’s missing in today’s music.”
Though this will be PANTyRAiD’s first performance in Oxford, Folb, at least, knows firsthand the charm the city offers and couldn’t wait to come back.
“I’ve played the Lyric before as MartyParty and I loved the venue, city and people,” Folb said. “It’s one of those cool towns you’re happy to go back to. I really love the down to earth vibe of Oxford and hanging out and eating seriously amazing BBQ.”
