Washed Out hit the Ogden Theater on August 22nd, and Mister Mellow, their new Xanax daydream-esque album, took over. Released June 30th, on Stones Throw Records, the CD apparently comes with a visual accompaniment that Washed Out has made come to life on this tour.

Ernest Greene, was on stage with two others in front of what looked like very similar set ups with slight variations: the man on the left having guitars and bass, the man on the right having drums, and Greene in the middle with a microphone in addition to a beat pad and some synthesizers like the others. Perched in front of a simple screen in all white outfits, the projected 60’s and 70’s style psychedelic graphics turned the whole band into a piece of moving art, which was interesting to see come alive, and change throughout the show. When the shapes of their bodies weren’t being manipulated and portrayed on the screen in a pop art fashion, there were graphics of smiley faces, and electric colors that assisted the music in coming to life.

A nearly perfect mix of the new album and old favorites, this show seemed to be aimed in a little more of a dancey direction, which unfortunately didn’t include some of the more trippy interludes and vocal bits I would have liked to see be a part of this album’s tour. Favorites off of previous albums Life of Leisure, Within & Without, and Paracosm such as, “Feel It All Around” (the Portlandia theme song), “New Theory”, and “Amor Fati”. The highlight of the set list was definitely “Hard To Say Goodbye”, a single off the new album, and a crowd pleaser in the most mellow way. How you can bring the mile high city down into this sense of melodic, dreamy, euphoric pop, I don’t know, but Washed Out did it, and hopefully will be paying Denver a visit sooner than the last time we saw him.

As a gifted artist and producer, one might struggle to place a finger on what makes his music so addictive, but would undoubtedly return to the underlying feeling of balance and connection. The New York Timesproclaims that“No part of his fusion is forced….While many attempts to merge classical melodicism with dance music sound awkward and gimmicky...Emancipator has found a balance.”

Doug Appling aka Emancipator has consistently shown his progress and flair for creating complex, eclectic music curated and developed from his early years training as a violinist, to his career of utilizing etheric melodies and sophisticated arrangements. Today he continues to transport those lush soundscapes, building a collage of instrumental sounds, pulling from mostly classical, world music, jazz, new age and a lot of hip hop. Making its premiere via Billboard Dance and Spotify these are the ingredients in Appling’s sonic toolkit that make up “Ghost Pong,” the lead single from his forthcoming 2017 album and first original material released by this prolific artist since 2015’s Seven Seas.

While Emancipator is not letting loose on further details off his forthcoming album just yet, a fun antidote is that he’s discovering the world of found sounds outside his Portland studio and using these original field recordings in his productions.

He says of the new single: “I’ve been inspired lately to return to making melodic instrumental Hip-Hop and this one has a chilling vibe to it which felt right. This specific song was born from a field recording when we had a ping pong table on tour with us.”

The single comes just one week ahead of his return to the iconic Colorado venue Red Rocks, but this time he’s headlining for the very first time on August 27 with his Ensemble featuring the breathtaking musicianship of longtime collaborator and violinist Ilya Goldberg, bassist Mub Fractal and drummer Colby Buckler. They will be joined by co-headliners The Opiuo Band plus RJD2 and Machinedrum. This is the biggest stage production he’s put together yet with carefully curated visuals and sound design.

In 10 years Emancipator has come a long way since he launched his music career by self-releasing his debut album “Soon It Will be Cold Enough” in 2006 while still a college student. In 2012 he launched his own Loci records imprint to help his talented circle of friends, by providing a platform for their musical output.

Massively respected amongst his robust fanbase and piers alike, Emancipator is the hidden gem of electronic music.

"Ghost Pong" is a chill event spent watching shadows move. Soulful wails and weeping violins set the mood over a laid-back beat. It's deliciously moody, definitely necessary for your next rainy afternoon. -BILLBOARD