A moment of discordant sounds created by years of musicianship, along with hypnotic lights, clashing with the visceral body heat of people swaying with an ecstatic frenzy. On a night where the perfect marriage of R&B and jazz transcends the ordinary, leaving a mark of passion and euphoria for all who were there. This is likely not how one would describe a night of live music in College Station, however for a lucky few these words may ring true. 

Rococo Disco is a band originating from the one and only College Station, now currently based out of Austin and consists of members Paul Chu (vocals) and David Soto (guitar/bass). As diverse as their inspiration is, truly classifying their musical genre flits like a butterfly through a hermeneutic net. They tastefully draw from a melange of styles, creating a psychedelic, mind-bending, surreal collection of sounds that not only resonates with people but cuts through a lot of the over-saturated pillars of live music in the local music scene. If you have had the privilege of seeing Rococo Disco perform live, then you will have no trouble understanding the tacit fact that their performative style is rather ethereal. They employ a combination of eclectic covers, and originals that do an unequivocally good job at inciting joy in concert-goers. The fickle trap of genericism is avoided by the fact that Rococo Disco very evidently enjoy themselves while performing. The passion granted through the movement of body and chords as one bleeds into the audience creates an environment that draws people to bond with music. 

Upon the release of their first EP in 2019, “Jaded”, they found high levels of success online despite their relatively low release rate. The plethoric nature of their discography allows them to explore themes like change, relationships, dreams, and self-discovery on tracks like “Honey Do”, “Lemon Drop, and “Please Don’t Leave Me” while obliquely setting lyricism and social commentary aside to showcase smooth melodies and rhythmically driven grooves through cuts like “JB Geronimo and Tan Lines”. While they may not have the structure of more developed artists in the form of linear albums, Rococo Disco is such a seminal artist because of their commitment to experimentation. Many of their inspirations - David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic - are as successful in their art as they are because of their ability to dip into many avenues in order to better how they choose to express themselves. Rococo is no stranger to this practice, and in doing so without fear, creates a wonderful opportunity for themselves to explore the mural of music. They have dabbled with using non-traditional instruments in their band such as saxophone, flute, tambourine, synthesizers, and sampling an organ to emulate things like a rich soulful R&B sound and a subtle sultry ballad of electronic composition. The imploring dynamic nature of rhythm is further shown when you see double drumming, melisma, and sharp melodic piano make appearances in their music.

All in all, Rococo Disco is a fantastically unique band that deserves to be explored. They are both modern and contemporary, and yet timeless because of their inspiration rooted in R&B, blues, and disco. Lend their music an ear, and enjoy watching the evolution of their sound to follow!

Written by Ethan Patterson, Design: Claire Thessen, Social Media: Sofia Mora, Videography: Tristan Nigos