CONCERT REVIEW: Dave1, DJ Funk, Spitzer, Crookers, Danger at Webster Hall, NYC (June 21 2008)

Aren't all-night concerts fun? I bought tickets to this event with two of my beloved coworkers from my summer job (here referred to as Lucky9 and Fad). Doors opened at 11, show started at 12, ended at 5, and I didn't get back home to my bed until 8 AM. I couldn't move for about two hours after I finally woke up later that afternoon, I had danced so hard.

DAVE1: This guy is one half of the electro-funk duo Chromeo (ATTN: Valentine Michael Smith - you'll love these guys), who are very reminiscent of the classic 80s electro movement, with influences borrowed from Michael Jackson, King of Pop. Dave1 was more into modern electro during his set, and the stuff he played sounded like techstep D&B basslines set to a 4/4 club beat. VERY danceable.

DJ FUNK: I think the correct name for this guy's genre is..."booty house?" This is the single stupidest genre of music ever created, but I'd be lying if I said that his set wasn't any fun. The lyrics to every song probably had the word "ass" in them at least thirty times. At least. The two things that I liked most about his set, though, were his breakbeat mix of Daft Punk's "One More Time," and his bottle of Grey Goose that he passed down to the audience.

SPITZER: A shame I can't find that many of their tracks online, because these guys are GREAT. It sounded like a mix of dark trance and electro-house, so I didn't know whether I wanted to rave or jam. (DJ Respire, a good friend of mine, recommended I try "ramming," or "javing.") Fantastic electro with delusions of trance, and I definitely intend to play them next time I DJ for the Shiva Rave.

CROOKERS: Fantastic fucking live show. A third of the crowd stormed the stage, and we were all clustered around the DJ deck watching those two crazy Italians doing their thing. They were very receptive, and knew just what tracks to play to get the audience jamming with them. I'm completely unsure as to what genre they fall into, but they mix the rolling techstep-reminiscent basslines with bangin' electro-house and rap/hip-hop to create, quite possibly, the most awesome dance party music ever. A good group to watch out for, as their remix of Kid Cudi's DayNNite has become a noticeable underground club hit (it's in the first video).

DANGER: The headliner and highlight. More than any other DJ, he was very concerned about the image. He was the only act to come on in a costume (a black body suit with white eye areas, reminiscent of Venom from Spider-Man), and the only act to incorporate video into his performance. The nature of his music combined with the choices the VJ made for material - old action movies like Predator and Road Warrior, old cartoons like GI Joe and Voltron, old video games like Final Fight and Street Fighter 2 - shows that he's even more stuck in the 80s than either Daft Punk or Justice. When this guy's album drops, it's going to be HUGE. He mixes the sound of 1980's cartoon and action movie soundtracks with Nintendo synths and modern French-style electro to create probably the best music I've ever heard come out of the French scene. Ever. I can't wait to see what he'll throw out next, and I'm awaiting the release of his second EP with extreme anticipation.