One (of many) problems with live electronic dance music is how repetitive it quickly becomes. No matter how ‘epic’ people hype them up to be, the crowd, the music, the debauchery all start to become a part of this predictably annoying routine.
But then comes Gramatik at Best Buy Theater on Saturday, January 25th to break the pattern. In celebration of his new album, The Age of Reason, this Slovenian producer Denis Jasarevic put together a night that was just as dynamic as the funk/soul/jazz/blues infused beats he crafts. It’s been a while since NYC has seen an electronic dance show this fulfilling.
TOKiMONSTA started the night with a trap-dominated set. Jenny Lee, the Californian DJ/producer under Flying Lotus’ BrainFeeder label, knew exactly what this particular crowd wanted from the start. As TOKiMONSTA threw in bits of TNGHT, original tracks, and even Dillon Francis, you could feel the air getting heavier and heavier with suspenseful trap music. If anyone in there had doubts on female DJs (why they would, I have no idea) this set clearly showed them otherwise.
Gramatik’s usual bass guitar + DJ setup were polished up that night with a saxophone player and a trumpeter. And they weren’t just there to look pretty – both woodwind and brass were clearly audible over the beats as the players keeled over with passion and energy. Towards the end, opener Gibbs joined the members on stage and threw down some powerful vocals for Gramatik’s track “Get a Grip”. Sweat was flying everywhere from both the crowd and the stage. Even the couples around the seated portion of Best Buy Theater were standing up on the chairs grooving to the beat. And – you’ll never believe this – not a single phone was in sight. Compare this set to Gramatik’s earlier sets, and you’ll see how much his live performances have developed over the last two-three years.
Sad that you missed this show? No worries. Upholding his philosophy about ‘‘freeing music by making music free,’’ Gramatik has made his newest album The Age of Reason free for download via Bittorent and Soundcloud. So now you can listen while you eagerly wait for the next time he comes back to the city – because trust me, you want to be there.
