Alex Crossan, also known by his stage name Mura Masa, takes the stage to perform at Emo’s.
Hundreds of fans packed Emo’s on March 8 to attend the multi-talented music producer Mura Masa’s sold-out show.
Story by Mandie Meier
Photos by Rebecca Chen
The large crowd of mostly 20-somethings gathered around the stage, sipping on drinks and chatting to set an airy vibe for Mura Masa’s arrival. A cluster of purple LED lights hanging from the ceiling began to dim as the stage illuminated the words “Mura Masa” in simplistic white on black lettering. The audience gave him a warm welcome with plentiful cheers, as he quietly walked on stage.
Bonzai joins Mura Masa on stage to sing “Nuggets.”
The show began with the bouncy sounds of his song, “Messy Love.” It is a playful song with interesting dissonant piano chords. He kept that same fun feeling throughout the first half of the show, playing songs like “Nuggets” and “1 Night”.
Although Mura Masa is considered an electronic artist, people were not pushing and shoving like they do at typical electronic shows. The ambience was high-spirited and lively the whole night as everyone in the room danced and cheered together. The mission in the room was to have a good time, and Mura Masa completed the mission. Even though there was not much commentary during the show, he had female vocalists there to cover his songs and keep the crowd alive and engaged.
Being a multi-instrumentalist, Mura Masa can pull off almost any sound. That being said, it is difficult to put him into a specific box when it comes to genre. He played the drums, bass guitar, piano and other instruments throughout the show. As he frequently switched up sounds, he stuck to the same style with every song.
His music was accompanied by interesting visual aspects. During his most popular songs, the screen behind him played graphics and lyrics from his music videos. If the visual was not from a music video, it was a “home-made” video of Mura Masa walking through the streets. The visuals complimented his musical style and gave the crowd a feel of the aesthetic he strives for.
Mura Musa is an electronic music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter.
His set started to heat up and change vibes in the middle of the show when he played “All Around The World” featuring “Panda” rapper Desiigner. The crowd began to jump around and fist-pump, as groups of guys chanted “aye!” This was a recurring theme throughout the second half of the show.
Mura Masa followed up the energy provoking song with “What If I Go?” and this popular song enticed couples in the room to hold their loved ones and sweetly sing to each other, “wherever you go, I’m going witcha babe.” Those without significant others hugged their group of friends while swaying side-to-side. As everyone shouted the lyrics, Mura Masa made the crowd feel connected.
The crowd excitedly cheers Mura Masa on stage.
The artist kept the crowd alive. As the night came to a close, everyone was anticipating his most famous song, “Love$ick” featuring A$AP Rocky.
The steel drums pattered against wubbing synthesizers with thumping bell sounds, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Although the song was covered by one of his rocking vocalists and not Rocky, nobody missed a lyric. Fans in the room sang along to every word, with emphasis on the latter half of the second verse.
After “Love$ick,” he left the stage just as quietly as he walked on. Fans applauded and scuffled out of the venue. Although it was a short show, Mura Masa gave everyone the night of their lives.
