Meltdown 2026: Devonté Hynes Ensemble

Multi-instrumentalist and all-round musical maestro Dev Hynes is known by many monikers — foremostly his project Blood Orange — as well as having produced for the likes of Kylie Minogue and A$AP Rocky. Despite being so embedded in the pop scene, he is a prolific classical musician with multiple film scores to his name. Devonté Hynes Ensemble is his latest classical venture, featuring three other classically trained musicians performing an hour of beautiful soundscapes and premiering at Harry Styles’ Meltdown.

As the room filled, the ensemble took to the stage one-by-one to improvise slow, ambient music. The group’s atmospheric music felt like drifting through a void in its quiet and contemplative tones, though these were at times broken up by the eerie, booming resonance of two cellos. Hynes himself moved between instruments, performing with one of the aforementioned cellos, as well as lightly plucking at an electric guitar to create a breezy atmosphere alongside less traditional keyboard parts.

Sonically, the set felt simplistic and warm — like a safety net holding the tranquil audience in embrace. This feeling was heightened by the ensemble’s members, who at times picked at the strings of the grand piano and sang operatically through a microphone which distorted their voices into grainy textures. Over a total of four pieces, the group masterfully brought modern and traditional sounds together in a gorgeous composition.

As an artist undaunted by breaking out of the boxes surrounding the genres he usually operates within, Hynes encapsulated what Meltdown is all about. This exploration of alternative avenues of music saw older fans of classical music and younger fans of his pop work sit side-by-side, brought together by Hynes’ unwavering skill over every medium of music he touches. This was a very special performance indeed.