Diplo @ The Mid
Ah The Mid…Chicago’s premier new EDM venue.
Oh how I continue to give you good press even though you won’t even give me free press passes.
In all seriousness, however, Diplo played an amazing set. He let his caprice flow in the form of Electro-House, Drum & Bass, Dubstep, Hip-Hop, and even some Beastie Boys “Sabotage” to finish off his set. Here are some highlights.
THIS KILLED IT. JUST WAIT TIL THE LAST :20 OF THE VIDEO. CRAZY.
You can’t go wrong dropping Congorock’s remix of “One”. International Dancefloor Smasher.
Diplo Dropping what I think was the Kanye edit he teased on Twitter.
Spot the Blogger!
(hint: it’s the douchebag in the bright flannel shirt completely ignoring the show to get good crowd footage)
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Theatrics
NOW THIS IS AN INTRO.
The EDM craze has lead to the stigmatic overuse of the word “epic”, but no word describes it better.
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Blog Lovin: Chuckie @ Lavo 01/13/11
Things I love: Electronic Dance Music
Things I really love: Seeing my favorite DJs perform live
Things I hate: Being suffocated in a throng of a million guidos while trying to enjoy my favorite DJs
Enter Lavo; New York City’s premier upscale Electronic Dance Music Venue.
There were a plethora of factors that contributed to my having such a favorable first experience at Lavo. Perhaps it was the fact that I didn’t have to schlep all the way downtown to go to a nice night-club replete with beautiful people, which raises the question, why the hell do we go all the way down to the Meatpacking District every night anyway?
The second contributing factor had to be the crowd. Clean, impeccably dressed, beautiful, house-loving young adults. No riff-raf, No dudes rocking bandanas and sweatpants with no shirt, sweating all over me; what a refreshing change of scenery compared to your typical House Music show. Look; don’t get me wrong, I’m all for busting out my neon tank-top and white skinny-jeans on occasion and getting my fist-bump on, but sometimes I want to throw on a suit and tie and still be able to enjoy my favorite DJs in an upscale and selective venue. Feel me?
The third contributing factor had to be the atmosphere. Generally upscale venues can become a bit stuffy because of the stringent door and the whole see-and-be-seen attitude permeating the subconscious of every patron. Lavo found the answer to that by handing out quirky glow-in-the-dark plastic wayfarers at the door, and having amazing lights and sound, an atmosphere that maintains the integrity of the Dance Party; a guilty pleasure we have all relished in at some point or another.
The fourth contributing factor was the talent. Chuckie absolutely killed it. From the moment he got on and announced his presence, He proceeded to drop banger after banger. As he is currently promoting the next release in his series of Electronic LPS: Dirty Dutch Digital Vol. 3, Lavo was treated to a plethora of unreleased bangers, including the unbelievable “Jaws” by Gregori Klosman. If I had one qualm with his set, it may have been that he layed on the foghorn a little too heavy, but he easily made up for that by playing a stupendous set, refusing to compromise its integrity with Top40 remixes, and instead playing Dutch Anthem after Dutch Anthem. My highlight had to be when he played his remix of Mohombi’s “Bumpy Ride”. The energy of the room was palpable.
What an amazing send-off to an unbelievable trip in NYC. Thumbs up to Lavo. One of the upsides of the expansion of House Music as a genre will undoubtedly be the inception of upscale venues such as Lavo and Provocateur, that bring in premium electronic talent regularly to cater to their clientele’s insatiable urge for Top DJs. Next up, a Lavo residency? It remains to be seen…But the future for the night club is promising.
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A Lovely Evening with Laidback Luke
First, some music.
1) Open Your What We Are (Laidback Luke Set-Rip)-Dennis Koyu
The Dutch takeover of Pacha NYC culminated with my #1 DJ in the world, the capricious Laidback Luke, playing probably the best set I have heard of his to date. Only the most avid House-heads packed Pacha NYC from wall-to-wall as many were attending the superclub for the second night in a row, but oh how they were treated as Luke once again demonstrated his unparalleled mixing expertise on the decks.
He played it all; current Electronic Dance Music hits, Hip-Hop (Dropping 99 Problems on everyone’s head, the crowd went absolutely nuts), even downtempo old-school Jamaican dancehall. It was amazing. The way he was able to jump around in BPM seamlessly like that, I’ve never seen anything like it.
One of the heaviest moments was when he set one deck to echo, scratched, spun the CDJ with the echo effect on, and dropped his remix of MSTRKRFT and Jon Legend’s “Heartbreaker”…In a word, spectacular. Video evidence below.
The Pacha NYC crowd was in a fever pitch. While the crowd for Afrojack was replete with people getting their first taste of the Pacha scene, allured by Jack’s mainstream endeavors, The Saturday crowd consisted more of the Pacha faithful, people who knew exactly what Luke was capable of doing behind the Pioneer 800. One of the heaviest drops had to be his timeless banger, “My GOD (Guns on Demo)”
As my readership is well aware, I am obsessed with Luke’s Edit of Proxy’s “Raven”. I think the drums that he added to the track are genius, and exactly what the cut needed to become memorable, timeless.
He’s a man of his word.
What a night. If I had to make one statement summarizing exactly why Luke’s sets are so special, it’s because the guy genuinely looks like he’s having fun out there. He’s enjoying the music he’s dropping just as much as his fans are, and that’s exactly what this movement is all about, the genuine love of music.
all photos below courtesy of Oliver Correa @ HiFi Cartel
Many thanks to Charlotte and the rest of the Pacha NYC team for making such an amazing night possible.
Afrojack Odyssey
Allow me to regale you with tales of an Afrojack filled week.
First, tunes, courtesy of TheFreshBeat.com , formerly TheHouseDepot.net, who two years ago, had the privilege of getting Afrojack to do an exclusive mix for their blog. Vintage 2008 Afrojack at its finest.
1)ChopShopMix-Afrojack
Now, about my Odyssey.
Chapter 1: AFROJACK TAKES OVER CONTROL OF HYDE
It all started in Los Angeles, at the tony, exclusive Hyde Lounge, Where Logan L1ght and I were behind the 1’s and two’s for 1 ❤ House Thursdays. Then, this happens.
Afrojack takes over control of my set.
Then, this happens.
Afrojack turns the party out.
A video from that splendid, blackout event.
CHAPTER 2: AFROJACK DEMOLISHES PACHA NYC
As I walk into Pacha for Afrojack perhaps the most startling thing was the amount of friends I bumped into immediately. It was like a reunion, under the premise of the dance party. A few things need to be noted.
1. Tip of the cap to whoever was in charge of lighting that night. Much better lighting job than Laidback Luke the following night. His strobes increased in power and velocity with every swelling sweep, and at the drop, the whole place would go bananas. evidence of the aforementioned can be found here:
Apparently, Afrojack liked the video too.
Not enough can be said about the energy that was coursing through the entire venue that evening. Even Afrojack seemed to be surprised by the energy, but, the consummate professional that he is, rather than feeling overwhelmed by the frenzied Pacha zealots, he fed off of them.
The night climaxed with an epic unreleased extended edit of Jack’s Watcha Say. To me, it was the perfect ending to the young DJ/Producer’s debut at Pacha. His alarming ascension up the ranks of DJ supremacy is unprecedented. In many ways, His Pacha NYC show symbolized the culmination of the first Chapter of his career, and his set reflected that, a celebration of his accomplishments, attended by his most loyal and avid New York supporters.
Amazing Pictures courtesy of Oliver Correa @HiFiCartel.com
and, my personal favorite
EPIC!
Thanks to Bobby and the rest of the SBE LA team,
Charlotte, and everyone at Pacha NYC who made it possible.
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The Big 10 House Mafia 