Next up was Monavent, an artist who believes in the power of emotion over convention. For Monavent, music doesn’t need to be dark or aggressive or fast to hold your attention. His psy-tech set carved out an ethereal soundscape, where slow classical piano motifs and stepwise melodies acted as anchor points in a shifting, liquid world. It wasn’t the kind of sound typically associated with peak-hour club sets, but if you let it, the music enveloped you, offering a transformative experience all its own. Smooth and intuitive, his set facilitated the ebb and flow of movement and emotion from the audience, who soaked up every minute of the sound.
Rinzen took the stage next, delivering an extended set that took listeners into new and unique sonic dreamscapes. Making his debut in Durham, Rinzen shared that he was eager to play with a more tech-forward sound in his set, where improvisation could breathe new life into his already dynamic style. The highlight came with the live debut of a track he had just finished writing on the plane ride there—a song that would get the largest reaction of the night from an already enthusiastic crowd. Rinzen’s music, rich in atmospheric depth, continued to give the room a sense of limitless expansion, as though the walls themselves had dissolved away, allowing those in attendance a glimpse into the worlds he crafts.
