By Ryan Cleland

It was just past 8:30 on a Friday when I arrived at Meow Nui—it was a typical busy Wellington evening. I navigated past flocks of people heading to bars after work and even several robotic-themed buskers who had set up shop just before the turn-off into Meow. As I entered, the opener had just begun to play. Christoph El Truento, DJ, beatmaker, and musician, was laying down tracks from across genres, from reggae to bossa nova. It was the perfect introduction to the world of Pachyman’s music. Pachyman himself is an LA-based Puerto Rican DJ, multi-instrumentalist, and occasional vocalist, but he always puts on a great show. This is his third trek into Aotearoa, but the first in Pōneke. He was here on tour to drum up support for his upcoming album Another Place. While El Truento was playing a mixture of jazz fusion, I watched Pachyman coolly walk into the bar as if he were one of the crowd. Donned in a red beanie and a white sweater, he dressed just like his stage presence—mellow as a sunlit afternoon. He had a rustic brown jacket over the top as he swam through the crowd with a drink in hand.

Just past 10, he came on stage sporting a cool pair of tinted glasses. “Are you ready?!?” he called out to us, and the crowd responded.

With a large grin on his face, he launched into the brilliant “All Night Long,” his breakout club classic from 2022, before moving on to recap his 2023 album Switched On, playing “Trago Coqueto” and “Sale el Sol”—a mix of songs that encapsulate the Pachyman experience: drinks and smooth-talking, all laid up against that Puerto Rican backdrop. In between songs, he began to speak to the audience. “Wanna know what I’m doing?” he asked. He told us about his setup, which consisted of a mixing board, a few keyboards, a vocal mic, some pedals, reverb, delay, and a high-pass filter. Pachyman’s setup allowed him to use the space at Meow quite liberally. He could be seen jumping and dancing across the stage, occasionally coming back to fidget with knobs or play a keyboard solo. At one point, he even pulled out a melodica and began to play it, much to the crowd’s approval.

He went on to introduce the next song by saying, “F*ck it, why not! Here’s one from my new album.” The retro beat filled the room as Pachyman began to repeat the phrase “HARD TO PART” on repeat. This skeletal drone pushed the crowd to fever pitch. Pachyman had just shown us the lead single of his new album, Another Place, titled fittingly “HARD TO PART.” This was followed by a second new song, yet unreleased, which was a bouncing jazz tune that had the whole crowd going. Pachyman excels at audience engagement, drawing us all in as he twisted and turned around the stage, calling out to us.

Eventually, the night was coming to a close, and to the cheers of the crowd, he said, “Gracias Wellington, Muchas Gracias,” before exiting the stage. The crowd was still very much alive, and after some coaxing, he ran back onto the stage. “Shall I sing another song?” he asked. Instantly, the crowd began shouting out requests—it was clear the audience knew his music well. Finally, after performing a second rendition of “All Night Long,” and some rather voracious dancing from both those on stage and in the crowd, Pachyman bid us farewell and ran offstage.

Pachyman is a fantastic artist and producer who has proven himself well-versed in his craft. His unique Puerto Rican twist on his tracks gives him a warm welcome to Wellington, and we cannot wait for his return. Another Place releases physically and on all streaming services on May 23rd.