The unseasonable warmth in Boise, ID set a cosmic mood for Treefort Music Fest's third day. In lieu of humidity at a high altitude, Channel Tres and his backup dancers draped the main stage with steamy intrigue, eliciting screams from even the most newly initiated (read: our Online Editor who was dragged to the set and immediately indoctrinated).
The Compton, LA rapper and producer used the night's set to announce his long-teased debut record unofficially, ripping right into 2018's "Jet Black" and "Controller," gliding as his dancers acted as hype-men and complimented his charisma in genuine revere.
In all ways, things were fluid. If the backup dancers weren't improvising in unison, they were interpreting a plug's deadbeat customers in "Weedman" or a voguing crowd during the Robyn and SG Lewis-backed "Impact." Despite the acrobatics, their matching thick white sunglasses somehow stayed on their faces. This, alongside Tres's black kilt and lace top that moved with his body, made every aesthetic choice feel purposeful.
Tres's time ahead of the house renaissance's curve set him up well for this era of cool flamboyance. He's stayed consistent with his blend of Detroit techno and deep four-on-the-floors, though his signature baritone bars take on a new form on stage. He tells the crowd his deeper register is his "phone voice," which acts as such in this case. The throbbing backing track nests in these lower melodies, adding additional bass to a slightly higher performance tone, making for a richer thud.
By elevating his backing track tactics, most of his energy could be focused on hyping up his audience. He constantly surveyed each side of the crowd, letting them in on the not-so-secret Ty Dolla $ign collab coming soon because "you guys are cool." In fact so cool that he ran set closer "Topdown" back a second time after opening up a sultry dance pit.
Nobody second-guessed this choice — especially not the woman filming the encore on her Nintendo DSi. Channel Tres' carefree but purposeful attitude was one shared by an audience unable to remain still. Somehow this charged personal batteries better than the Monster Energy booth to the side of the stage, acting as a gateway into the late-night festival circuit.