Polo & Pan. Photo by Priscilla Anna.
Three funky Frenchmen took over San Francisco’s The Independent on Wednesday night. Polo & Pan made their long awaited San Francisco debut, playing to a sold out crowd. Jean Tonique was added in support as a last-minute announcement, further whipping up San Francisco’s frenzy for these groove architects from France. In fact, demand for tickets for this show on resell/music groups was some of the highest I’d ever seen, especially for a weeknight show.
Jean Tonique set the tone for the night.
Those of lucky enough to be in attendance took in quite the show. Jean Tonique started off the night with his old-school funk inspired beats, getting the audience ready to dance. Tonique looped all of his beats and guitar riffs live, showing sleek and polished craftsmanship. Drinking gin and tonics to the tune of Jean Tonique was an absolute vibe.
Following a brief intermission and mild stint of technical difficulties, the highly anticipated stars of the night, Paul Armand Delille and Alex Pan came onstage and delivered jam after jam. I was astounded by the versatility and variety that Polo & Pan showed. Dancy pop was a theme throughout the night, yet the quirky Parisians effortlessly dipped into trappy hip-hop beats and even tech house flavors you’d expect at a Dirtybird event. “It was a worldly tropical electronic dance party”, one concertgoer said. Lush jazz riffs bridged together a lot of the elements in Polo & Pan’s performance. Whatever the musical direction, Paul and Alex had the Independent bouncing to the beat all night.
Photo by Priscilla Anna.
You have to love the sounds that we’re getting out of France. Centered around making you hit the dance floor, artists such as Wednesday’s stars, and others like FKJ, Mome, and Isaac Delusion have been creating waves in today’s music scene. Seamlessly blending together retro-chic elements with modern electronic sensibilities, the French have been releasing some of the most genre-bending, smile-inducing tunes. If you ever have the chance, Polo & Pan and Jean Tonique’s live sets both get this Music Ninja’s seal of approval.
