Autograf at Fortune Sound Club

Review and Photos – Autograf at Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, Feb 6 2020

– review by Julie Rankin, photos by Kirk Chantraine

With drinks in their hands, bright lights in their eyes and energizing songs in their ears, the crowd at Fortune Sound Club danced a quiet, rainy Thursday night away. Electronic duo Autograf provided the tunes with guest singer and local Vancouverite Phé on vocals.

Vancouver marked the first stop on the group’s North American tour. Originally formed in 2013 by Chicago’s Jake Carpenter, Louis Kha and Mikul Wing, the current duo of Kha and Wing now call LA home. Their set up at Fortune Sound Club reflected this move to a warmer climate—evoking chill days poolside with a stage full of lush, tropical greenery while bamboo plant stands served as tables for their equipment.

On stage in their temporary oasis, Autograf performed a number of songs from their new album, Love and Retrograde, such as “Casual Love” and “Test the Waters”. Older hits including 2017’s “Sleepless in NYC” and 2015’s “Dream” really got the crowd moving. A new mix of 2019’s “You Might Be” wasn’t as spectacular as the original, but the group gave the magnetic track a well-deserved encore at the end of their set.

Prior to performing their new song, “Easy”, Kha commented on the meaning of the title, “If it’s not easy you don’t do it, that’s our motto.” An interesting sentiment from a group who must certainly have worked hard to get where they are.

The set, though entertaining, didn’t convey the magic and energy that usually comes through in their tracks. In part due to the vocals, which didn’t have the same range as those on the recordings.

Without an opener or an encore, Kha and Wing DJ’d right through to the venue’s 11:30 pm curfew before closing the show with 2018’s reminder to live life to the fullest, “Dead Soon”.

More Autograf at Fortune Sound Club photos:

Contributors

Julie Rankin

Julie Rankin is a writer and a designer and developer of digital experiences. She currently operates her own holistic creative studio that aims to push the boundaries of what we can build together on the web. Julie is passionate about digital sustainability, accessibility and user experience. In addition to serving as editor and writer at Bright Noise, Julie also writes fiction. She can often be found cycling, walking along the Vancouver seawall, or enjoying some live music.

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Kirk Chantraine

Kirk Chantraine is a Canadian photographer and software developer currently based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He graduated from Vancouver Film School for 3D Animation in 2004 and has been working in the Visual Effects industry ever since with companies such as Electronic Arts and Disney. Over the last few years Kirk has exhibited his photographic works in San Francisco and Vancouver. A music aficionado and vinyl junkie, Kirk shoots live music and performance at an inhuman pace across North America for Bright Noise , along with landscape and portraiture. If you're buying: gin-and-tonics. He is @kchantraine on socials.

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