Seraphina Lotkhamnga on July 16th, 2012

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Robert DeLong, the newest whiz kid at molding electronic music into danceable pop, pulled out all the stops at his first headlining show Wednesday night at the Troubadour. There was a face-painting station – maybe a first for the legendary venue – but the young fans who slathered on the fluorescent stuff weren’t concerned with history. They were living in the now, and that meant an explosive electronic set from Glassnote Records’ newest signing.

• ||| Photos by Carl Pocket

Black lights, orange X’s and splattered paint illuminated the stage as DeLong started by holding up drumstick to a household pot. Then with one bang on the cookware, his set immediately snowballed into layers of echoes and beats to cushion his bright vocals. Hands automatically reacted by flying in to the air, quickly transforming in to fist pumps as DeLong began to sing out, “Be not afraid / It’s just a game.”

Even for those who aren’t naturally inclined to dubstep, DeLong’s extraordinary live show was an experience. Working from behind a barricade of electronic equipment, he was truly a maestro, conducting his own symphony of pop, folk, house, dubstep and glitch, and although all that gear may have looked like a shield, none of it was to protect himself. He projected nothing but positive vibes to the audience, who roared when DeLong’s chorus asked the seemingly most important question of all: “Did I make you f**king dance?”

As the swarm of fans grew rowdier by the minute, DeLong began to run rampant on stage. Not only did his vocals maintain an impressive range and crisp clarity, but his musical inventions – which include a Wii remote and a joystick – literally made it a night of fun and games. However, his best trait, which proves him to be far more than a DJ, were displayed whenever he would fly to his drum set on the other side of the stage. Intertwining synthetic and live beats, and even an acoustic guitar toward the end of his set, DeLong could have burst in to flames from all the kinetic energy during his one-man show.

Fans continued to pile on to the stage creating the wildest rave the Troubadour may have possibly seen in a while, prompting security to gently guide dancing fiends off the stage. But DeLong was also about living in the moment. His futuristic message bellowed, “Go get your face painted for this is a party and no one gives a f**k,” and everyone followed instructions. Well, almost everyone.

L.A. bands Incan Abraham and Tapioca & the Flea opened the night.