Capitol Hill Block Party 2015, Day 2: Kinski, Giraffage, Zoolab, Toro y Moi

Day 2 of Capitol Hill Block Party started with more gray clouds and drizzling rain. But a packed lineup full of variety kept all gloomy feelings at bay. Local band Kinski kicked off the day with a birthday celebration and beat smiths Giraffage and Zoolab upped the energy in the late afternoon before Toro y Moi graced the main stage for a killer show.

Kinski's wailing guitars cut through the normal early afternoon lull of a Saturday. The ferocious sound of the veteran Seattle band is always a pleasure to experience, but it had extra sentiment on Saturday as guitarist and vocalist Chris Martin celebrated his birthday with the CHBP Vera Stage. The birthday man, who proved he can shred just as well sitting down as standing up, seemed eager to take his birthday shot and attributed it to the song "Drink Up and Be Somebody" before he was corrected and given a proper birthday cheers. Whether Chris was just being humble, or was trying to avoid troubling thoughts of aging and mortality that often comes with birthdays was unclear. But the set showed that thoughts of the latter were irrelevant, as Kinski seems to only get better with age. Kinski:

San Francisco beat guru Giraffage took the main stage by storm on Saturday afternoon. A giant screen flashed his name and a variety of odd clips containing everything from puppies to karate chopping nuns as he began spinning his unique brand of electronic music. His chill beats were given some extra bump in the live setting, and his choice of remixes was impeccable. Remixes to subtle hits like Mapei's "Don't Wait" were balanced with failsafe crowd pleasers like Miley Cyrus's "Party In The U.S.A." and "Who Let The Dogs Out." Girraffage may be one of the few producers who can pull off playing a remix of "Who Let The Dogs Out" in between their own tracks. It is a testament not only to his creativity and skill as a producer but also his ability to not take himself to seriously. A giant inflatable ball that housed a camera and gave a unique look at the crowd further added to the fun of the set. A technical problem/error cut out the sound at one point, but it was quickly corrected and the show commenced. It was clear nothing could prevent the fun of a Giraffage show from prevailing.

Giraffage:

From the looks of the crowd that gathered in Nuemos before Zoolab's set, it seemed like a nationally touring act was about to take the stage. And while Terence Ankeny has yet to take his act across the country, he certainly would find success doing so. The beat project of Seattle Band Spirit Award's drummer creates music you can feel good about having fun to. In his own words it's "conducive to good times while remaining tasteful." That was clear on Saturday as plucky synths and glimmering sounds swept across the packed Nuemos stage. The music was well crafted and intricate, but at the same time catchy and extremely danceable. The result was one of the more active CHBP crowds of the weekend before he dropped a Kelly Clarkson "Since You've Been Gone" remix. After that there was no competition, a sure sign that Zoolab had made a lot of new fans Saturday night, and gained momentum that doesn't seem likely to dissipate anytime soon.

Zoolab:

Chaz Bundwick brought his Toro y Moi project out as a 5 piece to a massive main stage crowd on Saturday night. His new record What For? was quite the departure from the much more electronic albums Anything In Return and Under The Pine. This was captured quite simply by Chaz's use of a guitar for most of the "What For?" tracks and the switch to the keys for songs from the older albums. Yet the new and old work transitioned surprisingly well, and what had once seemed like a stark difference in sound showed its true face as a subtle transition in the live setting. The funkiness of Toro y Moi has always been present, it has just evolved through the years. So while Chaz Bundwick's side project Les Sins may be his outlet for dance music, Toro y Moi has always held an unrivaled ability to get a crowd moving. As he closed his set with Anything In Return favorite "So Many Details," that had never been more evident.

Toro y Moi: