Korean kings of the jam, CADEJO needs little introduction. Hailing from Seoul, their international star is continuing to rise. Best experienced live, their fairly freeform improvisational style has earned them a reputation as one of the more sought-after festival performing acts.

Their Saturday afternoon Orange Echo set started more like an impromptu jam session at a friend’s living room. Very little fanfare, just a few people playing music together. But they quickly proved how much skill it takes to look so casual. The songs were long and allowed to take whatever stange direction the band felt like taking. They were also never confined to just one genre. A little funk with a little dub and some classic Rock and Roll? Why not. Across the board. This looseness gave them the elbow room to experiment around and get creative. In jam terms we are talking definitely more Khruangbin than Phish. Chasing deep grooves, not noodling for noodling’s sake.

Towards the end of the set they started throwing vocals into the mix, and this got things pretty interesting. This final portion was significantly tighter and funkier, with lots of terrific falsetto harmonies. They ended on a particularly high note, literally and figuratively.

It was a wonderful amuse–bouche before the evening’s festivities, another great psychedelic excursion in a festival day full of them. This year was their first Fuji Rock, and let’s hope it isn’t their last!