For a night with a plethora of acts, including AC Slater, Neon Indian, Arthur Baker, Rekles and Alex English, headliner Moby took the prize. With over twenty years of experience under his belt as DJ, singer-songwriter, and musician, Moby showed he hasn’t lost a beat, and the audience at this sold-out Girls & Boys party couldn’t agree more. With a set list that included the Hijack remix of “Blow up”, Zodiac Cartel’s “Rave is King”, Steve Agnello’s vocal mix of “Raining Again” and a remix of “Porcelain” among others, Moby kept the audience in constant motion.
It was a day that Webster Hall faced destruction. Armed with the heavy artillery of dubstep, Hudson Mohawke, Caspa and Benga came prepared for a battle in sound this past Friday. Facing complete annihilation, the audience surrendered to the takeover by the musical madmen who came for carnage.
Hudson Mohawke, the youngest UK DMC finalist at the age of 15 (under DJ Itchy), showcased the skills that make the 23-year-old Glasgow native a prodigy. His beats and twisted warps behind his Serato and Ableton set inspired hands and cell phones in the air. When he played his dub-step rendition of Ludacris’ “How Low” the floors rumbled with bass and movement from an audience who responded. The beacon of the night, the young producer shook the halls with a thunderous roar – leaving the audience without a moment to spare. In battle, a general never sends the entire army all at once; he delivers his blow in calculated waves. Just when the audience thought they’d had enough, Caspa emerged.
Every army has its knight in shining armor, and in this battle his name is Caspa. With a name that is synonymous with the dubstep genre, his work moves and inspires other producers. When he’s not running three labels and releasing some of the tastiest remixes, he’s producing and churning out albums. Introduced by Rod Azlan, the crowd went crazy as he took the stage. At the height of the night’s madness, he dropped a dubstep version of deadmau5 and Kaskade’s “I Remember” and La Roux’s “Bulletproof” that sent the audience into frenzy. In a finishing move, he played his remix of Rusko’s “Cockney Thug, ” making way for the general of the night, Benga.
Dropping monster “chunes” and pushing the speakers to the max, Benga caused some uncontrollable head bops worthy of thrashings. His select tunes not only shake frames, but they can also make the heart tremble. Like a rush of adrenaline, his baselines are not for the faint hearted. An artist on the stage, he took presence in front and behind the decks to the delight of the crowd. Like a conductor, he kept the audience and swung them back and forth as he transitioned to heavy “grime” that contorted faces. This fight was clearly won, but what good is a victory without the rest of the troops to celebrate? To close the night, Caspa joined Benga for turns as they transitioned to drum and bass. Till the lights went out, no life was spared at this Friday’s installation of GBH and Meanred‘s Boys & Girls party.
