Alice Longyu Gao @ Barboza

Friday, June 30th • 7 pm

DJ and producer Alice Longyu Gao is the future of music—and knows it.

On “Believe the Hype” Gao coos: “You’re listening to the future of music/You hate to see, but I’m poppin’ on Reddit.” Gao’s latest album, Let’s Hope Heteros Fail, Learn, and Retire, is a brief but boisterous concept album that positions Gao as a world-famous pop star in a world mired by powerful algorithms, rabid fans, and broken hearts. Gao’s brand of hyperpop—emphasis on “hyper”—is brash and mechanical, slamming sweet, synth-driven melodies directly into unhinged, metal-influenced percussion sequences. It’s no wonder that 100gecs’ Dylan Brady is a close collaborator, producing Gao’s dark, braggy “Come 2 Brazil.” At times, Gao’s music sounds like every Spotify track playing at once, but guiding listeners through it all is Gao’s voice, sometimes serene, sometimes screaming. 

As a preview for this tour, Gao presents this equation: “harp + Abl*ton Live + MIDI controller music, very cool fun show.” Joined by DJ Nso and musician Farheen, it’s gonna be a chaotic, turnt up ride.