It’s ‘Full Speed Ahead’ for Felix III, the premiere act at the closing party for SXSW 2022.
Felix III is a Mexican-American who has carved out a musical niche for himself with his ambient music project, PALLUX. It consists of soothing, meditative soundscapes, combining ambient with drone. “I’m in space man,” he sang. “Signal turns red, sound the alarms. Full speed ahead. The galaxy has always give me so many things that I don’t get from you.” Dressed in a pure white outfit fringed with lace, his lyrics and vocals, so jarringly different from what most of us are accustomed to, seemed to encapsulate the rebirth of SXSW as the biggest and most eclectic event on the calendar for Austin.
His music focuses on giving into carnal pleasures at the cost of mental wellbeing – and centers around unlearning the damage caused by poverty, homophobia, higher education, heartbreak and the great sadness of not living up to the American Dream that we are conditioned to believe in as our ultimate goal. A most unusual and engrossing performance. Even though he appears to be young, Felix admitted to me he is actually 102!
His debut video and single, After Hours, was released on Feb. 26, 2022. Give it your support! Here is the link on YouTube:
The gay-themed party, mostly consisting of drag queens, was held at Cheer Up Charlie’s at 900 River Rd. in downtown Austin. The bar opened in 2010, and has been at this location since 2013, offering a safe space for local talents to perform.
Photo of Felix III at SXSW by C. Cunningham
