For about a year or so we've been supporting the brothers Disclosure. We've spun their tracks on Dank Radio + blogged about their tours & releases. Basically spread the word about their amazing music to anyone who would listen. It was only a matter of time before they made their way across the pond to spread their sexxxi UK Garage // Deep House sounds to the Los Angeles region. My brother Eccentric and I secured access to their sold out show [Many thanks to Jay + the whole Disclosure team for their hospitality] and made our way up to LA on Halloween.
As we approached the beautiful and historic El Rey Theatre I had thoughts in my head picturing sexxxi nurses and scantily clad women prancing around in excitement//celebration of Disclosure performing on Halloween. The unofficial video to What's In Your Head came to mind. Reality began to settle in as I looked around at the overall conservative costumes. "Ohh, the show is 18+. That's explains it." Regardless of the age difference the majority of the audience that were present were in positive spirits, which can be a complete rarity to find at some LA events.
Samo Sound Boy warmed up the crowd. Carefully weaving between minor chorded tunes, pulsating techno, and UK bass tracks, he did a proper opening set. He didn't tire out the crowd. Everyone was grooving. People were socializing and they were making new friends amongst old ones. We ran into our friends at I.T.S. Music Playground on the dance floor as well as some of the Media Contender crew. The anticipation was building and Samo Sound Boy kept us at a good level. He spun one of my favorite Girl Unit tracks, Ensemble (Club Mix) [purchase @ beatport | juno].
The brief intermission between Samo Sound Boy and Disclosure's set was one of the first reminder's that despite it being a dance music event, it wasn't a club night. The awkward de-set and headliner gear line checks can become an awkward moment when the audience loses it's energy. Luckily for those in attendance the front of house understood our needs and kept us at bay with the Ghostbuster theme song, Michael Jackson's Thriller, and a few other Halloween favorites.
Curtains finally parted as the first few measures of Control (feat Ria Richie) began to play. The whole venue erupted in excitement. Guy and Howard approached their music stations with huge smiles. The crowd was jumping, singing, dancing, grooving, and all matters of boogie movements. I never really noticed the depth of their bass sounds until I heard it inside the El Rey. It was as if their sonic synthesis were instructing me to move a certain way. As the last 32 measure block of Control came to an end I noticed the mixing of an old favorite of mine off their Disclosure EP.
Blue You was one of the first tracks I loved to spin on Dank Radio. Being at around 133 bpm it gave me an option to follow up fabricated's dubstep sets and transition into my usually more four on the floor frenzies. With Blue You, Disclosure kept the energy level high, which is what I expected them to do at the beginning of their performance. The key is that they were performing these songs live as opposed to DJing a set. A good headliner act will start off with a bang and trail off to allow themselves and the crowd to rest. They did this perfectly that night with their steady song flow.
After their first block of high energy tracks including, Control + Blue You + My Intention is War!, they took a brief rest to greet everyone Halloween. I give the brothers credit for keeping their rest periods to around three that night. They used their rest periods like a dance music track's break or build up portion, which allowed for transitions into different tempos and energy. It was if they were actually DJing their whole performance by keeping an eye out on the crowd and actively reacting to their needs as their set progressed.
Disclosure delivered a wonderful Halloween performance, one that will not be forgotten for LA's lucky who were present to witness the sold out show. They performed many of our favorites including What's In Your Head and their remix of Jessica Ware's Running, both of which created one of the biggest sing along groove sessions I've experienced at a show in recent memory. After about an hour or so of good grooves their set had come to an end. Many were surprised that it was their last song, but with all good shows there must be an end. They gave their final goodbyes and thank you's and ended the night with Latch feat. Sam Smith [purchase @ beatport | juno | iTunes].
Additional Comments:
1) After the show I brought up the fact that what people came to experience was more or less their songs and not so much their performance. They are more producers than actual veteran musicians. It's also their first time performing in the US and they are relatively young. So I look forward to their next round of US performances as they evolve with their productions and performance.
Overall their performance suited the audience and the age of their performance group. All in all the most important thing we both agreed upon is that the audience had a great experience.
Tour Dates:
11/09 C2c Murazzi Club in Turin, Italy
11/10 Digital in Brighton, UK
11/16 02 Academy Leeds in Leeds, UK
11/24 Motion in Bristol, UK
11/29 02 Academy Glasgow in Glasgow, UK
11/30 The Warehouse Project in Manchester, UK
12/01 02 Academy Bournemouth in Bournemouth, UK
12/01 RoXX in Southampton, UK
12/06 Plan B in London, UK
12/13 02 Academy Newcastle in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK
12/14 Robert Johnson in Offenbach, Germany
12/28 Rhythm and Alps in Christchurch, New Zealand
12/29 Rhythm and Vines in Christchurch, New Zealand
12/31 Unknown Venue in Adelaide, SA, Australia
01/01 Summadayze 2013 in Melbourne, VIC, Australia
01/01 Summadayze 2013 in Melbourne, VIC, Australia
01/01 Field Day 2013 in Sydney, NSW, Australia
01/05 Unknown Venue in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia
01/06 Summadayze 2013 in Subiaco, WA, Australia
01/18 Bugged Out Weekender in Bognor Regis, UK
03/01 Manchester Academy 2 in Manchester, UK
03/01 Gorilla Manchester in Manchester, UK
03/02 King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, UK
03/05 Rescue Rooms in Nottingham, UK
03/07 Heaven in London, UK
03/26 Nouveau Casino in Paris, FR
03/29 Bi Nuu in Berlin, Germany
03/30 Ubel & Gefahrlich in Hamburg, Germany
04/06 1500 M2 Do Wynajecia in Warsaw, Poland
Nativity
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