Perturbator at Irving Plaza

In Paris, France, two parents who were music journalists and had played in a tech trance band influenced James Kent's interest in live music. The younger Kent began playing his parents' synthesizer at age eight and played his first guitar at age 11. After brief stints in black metal bands, Kent learned that he would rather perform solo, and electronic music made that possible. He took on the name Perturbator and since 2012 has recorded largely instrumental science fiction-themed music. Perturbator achieved international exposure when his music was used in the soundtrack for the game Hotline Miami; since then, his music has been used in television soundtracks as well. Perturbator has released four albums and several EPs and singles; in February 2019 he revealed a single, "Excess," as a preview to his forthcoming fifth album.

At Irving Plaza tonight, Perturbator's live production incorporated a live drummer, Dylan Hyard, plus ample use of blinding, flashing lights, LED bars, and fog machines. The musicians were barely visible under all the visual effects. Perhaps there was little reason to watch the musicians anyway, as the two musicians were fixed necessarily behind their non-portable gear and the only showmanship their bodies could offer was the bouncing of their heads. Meanwhile, layers of synthwave music throbbed, pulsed and vibrated at adrenalin-pumping speeds, thick and cinematic, as sharp-edged, jarring industrial sounds penetrated the often repetitious melodies. The structures paralleled rave music, but with far more density riding on the floating sublimities. This was cutting-edge cerebral music that has been attempted successfully only by European artists like Carpenter Brut, Goblin and Ulver.