At the Satosph\u00e8re on September 24, George Clanton\u2019s audiovisual performance\u2014under his pseudonym ESPRIT\u2014took the form of a contemplative, nostalgic, and hypnotic experience. Seated in front of his instruments\u2014notably his trusty Roland SP-404SX\u2014the artist controls both the music and the visuals, in a setup reminiscent of the early days of his project, when he crafted his tracks in the privacy of his bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than seeking direct contact with the audience, Clanton remains focused and almost motionless, allowing a continuous wave of sound to fill the space. Heavy layers of ethereal synthesizers, textures evoking VHS tape distortion, and samples manipulated in slow motion create a hazy universe, true to the vaporwave aesthetic. The set notably revisits classics like \u201cWormpop\u201d and \u201cSecret Esprit.wav,\u201d while incorporating recognizable samples, including one from Seal\u2019s \u201cCrazy,\u201d used in \u201cSeal,\u201d a track released on 200% Electronica<\/em>, now considered a landmark vaporwave album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Surrounding the audience, a series of analog televisions serves as a backdrop for visuals inspired by the web and video game culture of the 1990s. Glitches, pixelated textures, and pastel colors\u2014dominated by pink, cyan, and purple\u2014create an artificial space filled with a familiar melancholy, that of forgotten digital worlds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the concert, amid applause, George Clanton clasps his hands together in a namaste gesture toward the audience, before striking\u2014with a smile\u2014the famous pose from the Seal<\/em> album cover. But his farewell doesn\u2019t end there: he then makes his way into the crowd to shake hands with his fans and spend a few moments with each of them. After a performance during which he had remained focused and almost impassive behind his instruments, this moment reveals a completely different side of the artist. It\u2019s a particularly generous way to wrap up the evening, taking the time to personally thank those who came to bring his world to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n