Photos by: Mario Villeda (Mario Villeda Photography)

Story by: Jacki Moon Horne

The Floozies and Freddy Todd brandish an unstoppable force field of funky jams and psychedelic beats – this became crystal clear after the trio’s month long tour through the south. The brothers in funk made their way to The Parish in Austin, Texas for the second-to-last stop of their combined tour, and I was lucky enough to make the funk fest. Although nearing the end of a long tour run, the Floozies and Freddy Todd show in Austin still had plenty of momentum; the venue sold out and all of the night’s sets were executed with full throttle groove. 

The night was originally planned to be an early set that ended before midnight; however, a stroke of luck pushed the show back to be rescheduled as a late night party. This meant there was plenty of time for Austinites to make it to The Parish on 6^th street in order to experience a full night of funktronica, courtesy of The Floozies, Freddy Todd and local B!unt Force.

Freddy Todd’s unique future bass sound, and fluid stage presence establish the producer as a cut above the rest. From glitch-hop, to deep house, to trap-trill remixes of classic hip-hop beats, Freddy grabs hold of the audience then guides them through an eccentrically kaleidoscopic voyage of sound. The now west coast-based producer also incorporates the keytar into his live set to create a more improv jamtronica experience that keeps the crowd engaged, intrigued, and dancing—clearly the case at last weekend’s show.

Freddy has been on fire over the last year with new music production and a heavy tour schedule. Slaying and reshaping the electronic music scene, his unique soundscapes and entertaining live sets break the mold to create a more novel EDM experience. His full-length Lowtemp album Golden Tremendous demonstrated just how much the producer has evolved and matured into his own signature sound. Freddy played plenty of tracks off of the new album, along with older material and additional remixes at last weekend’s show.

Despite two back-to-back high-energy tours, Freddy showed absolutely no signs of slowing down during his set at The Parish. Freddy was also already crushing it while touring with Gramatik immediately before touring with The Floozies.

The Floozies, comprised of brothers Matt Hill and Mark Hill, took the stage shortly after Freddy Todd’s killer set. The dynamic duo again demonstrated their ability to immediately grab the crowd’s attention and hold it closely through an entire set. From their own personal future-funk facelifts of cheesy Phil Collins songs and classic rock song “Black Betty,” to their all-original material from their latest “Fantastic Love,” the Floozies never ceased to deliver an energetic, fun and eargasmic performance with just enough sleaze to keep the crowd grinding on the dance floor.

The Floozies actually had two sets; however, it seemed as though much of the crowd did not get that memo. The audience thinned out after the duo’s short intermission, making it a more intimate experience for those of us who were fortunate enough to stay. Much talk of a new album was spoken by Matt and Mark during their second set, which left the audience craving more. Although we had already gotten a double dose of The Floozies through their two sets that night, the audience wasn’t quite ready for the duo to stop. Luckily, The Floozies came back and proceeded to double encore with a track from the new album then “Body Slam,” a Space Jam remix and crowd favorite.

Last Friday night at The Parish was an epic end of fall funk fest, with an extraordinary lineup of talent. Both The Floozies duo and Freddy Todd are masters at their craft of music production and live entertainment. Both entities have made great strides in their careers during the last year, and it’s exciting to imagine where they both will be in another year from now.