Live: Paper Diamond

Paper Diamond played the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, Ca on April 3. It was a fantastic show. The Belly Up had a sound system fully equipped to handle the bass that Paper Diamond was bringing. More about the show and more photos after the jump!

The show was opened by Osal8 and Minnesota. I only caught the last couple songs of Minnesota, who brought the funk and got people sufficiently warmed up.

The Belly Up is some sort of combo bar and club. Its not quite a full club/concert venue, but it has a fantastic soundsystem that rattles your chest when the bass hits. Paper Diamond clearly knew tonights soundsystem was up for anything. His blend of electronic music with jam tendencies and roots definitely come out during a live show. You can tell he is a professional on stage, knowing when to speed it up or slow it down, getting everyone to react and dance their heads off.

The show initially started with Kanye and Jay-Z's "Niggas in Paris" which was slightly concerning, given how many remixes of those two artists everyone has heard. My doubts were quickly silenced as Paper Diamond brought solid bass tunes informed by dubstep without being cheapened by needing to have the biggest drop humanly possible. He peppered the show with new tunes, word of advice: buy as soon as it comes out, you will love it!

I had read about how he had programmed his iPad to function as a sampler and how it allowed him to connect more with the audience. This connection definitely seemed true. Many producers focus on the sampler and lose track of the crowd, notable exception being Flying Lotus. Paper Diamond definitely stayed connected with everyone in the room. He has also mentioned touring with a full band, I am intrigued by this idea, but I am not sure how it would work. Plus when shows are this good, why change it. Highly recommend everyone checking Paper Diamond out when they come to your town.