Tuesday 14 May 2019

On Stage: Jacco Gardner @ Paradiso



After releasing a couple of lush dreamy psych pop albums, Jacco Gardner dropped his latest album Somnium last year. Named after the Johannes Kepler novel from the 1600s it is a somewhat dark instrumental journey that indeed feels like a dream. Not just any dream but one that you need to give in to. He played the entire album in Artis' planetarium a while ago, which proved the be the perfect place for his adventurous music. I wasn't able to attend that night, but fortunately he is now bringing his project to a few clubs around the country.

Jacco Gardner's Somnium at Paradiso Amsterdam, May 10 2019



In Paradiso's main hall pillows and chairs are circling a couple of synths, keyboards and other electronics. Smoke machines are fogging up the venue before the show starts. Gardner sits down in the middle and is joined by María Pandiello, who is sitting down opposite him. They start playing the music from Somnium and will play the whole album tonight.



Slowly the electronic soundscapes start to build their wondrous and somewhat dark dreamworld. Colourful spotlights are pointed at the centre and the smoke spreads out the light. It creates a hazy atmosphere where it is hard to see the other spectators in here tonight. Music and lighting complement each other in this strange atmosphere. You really need to surrender yourself to this spectacle to fully appreciate this performance and the ambient electronic music.



This was a pretty special night and I can only imagine what this must have looked like in Artis' planetarium, although I believe they are currently releasing footage from that show. It was very nice to see Gardner recreate that world here tonight. He's one of those creative artists that we should treasure.



All Pictures

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