Town Ballroom on Valentine’s Day was madness. The lobby, the main floor, the tiers and the patio were overcome by a sea of people, breathing heavily and dancing. Laughter was heard and couples were kissing. Friends smiled as they noticed each other and ran to embrace them. Spirits were high and the vitality of the Ballroom was bright. Tickets were ripped and possibly became new keepsakes to remember the night. Thanks to MNM Presents, Rusko brought a new kind of Valentine’s Day celebration for many.
SwaggleRock opened the night. DJ Esbie and DJ DCal, who form the duo, were on stage as a steady flow of people began to fill in the dance floor. Their set was high energy as the two traded back and forth as usual. The iridescent green light showed a Cheshire cat smile with a gold tooth atop DJ DCal’s fitted hat. Their compatibility as DJ partners was apparent as they smoothly maneuvered through upbeat tracks. DJ Mario Bee MC’d during their set, his dreads shaking about as he hyped the crowd.
DJ Medison took over afterwards. From the stage, the lights beaming down were bright, and the massive group looked merely like a subtle movement in the darkness. Only glimpses of faces toward the front rail could be seen. Mid-set and too warm, Medison pulled his shirt over his head, whipped it into the screaming crowd, and then stepped back to continue while grinning in his red man-tank.
By the time Rusko was to go on, there was just enough room to nudge people and squeeze through to slowly cross to the opposite side of the dance floor. From the middle of the crowd, which had not quite hit its induced and perspiring peak, it seemed as if the group was never ending. Screams erupted as he stepped behind the decks. His signature mohawk was tucked underneath a black flat-rimmed hat.
This Mad Decent producer and DJ left Buffalonians awestruck and breathless. As I heard the intro to his classic remix of Kid Sister’s “Pro Nails,” my heart was overjoyed as I flashed my freshly painted nails and rapped along with Kid Sister’s vocals. The energy of the room was crazed and the majority of Rusko’s set was phenomenal, regardless of his quite noticeable train wrecks. He declared he was going to prove that DJs can perform while drunk, as he swigged from a tall bottle of Grey Goose. For the most part he was definitely correct, except for the occasional issue with his CDJs, upon which he held up and presented the disc to the audience and muttered unrecognizably into the mic, shrugging occasionally. Unfortunately I missed the smashing of his vodka bottle, as I discovered when I walked back into the room to see broken glass scattered across the stage.
When he dropped “Everyday” it was complete chaos. Almost impossible to describe the beauty of this moment, it was as if everyone was connected. After a quick and clean transition into the Netsky remix, pure ecstasy and joy overtook the room.
Wanting to make it to the after party in time, I put my jacket on and was about to leave. This was until I heard the swooning female vocals of “Hold On.” Immediately after recognizing this, I took my jacket off and awaited the possibility that Rusko would go from his original right into the Sub Focus remix – a perfect transition. This tune, produced and released in 2010, was a throwback to a couple of summers ago. The slower tempo of his original track suddenly built up speed into the remix. After dancing madly, I walked out of Town Ballroom incredibly grateful that I didn’t miss that segment of his set.
Stuntman was the opening DJ at the Mad Decent After Party held at Soundlab. His set was dark, and the red lights shined down as DJ Mario Bee was MC’ing once again. His vocals reverberated through the room, eerily and trip-like. His set was the perfect changeover from the insanity that was ensuing at Town Ballroom. The mood of his tracks matched perfectly with the dwelling atmosphere of the underground spot.
Clicks and Whistles followed. The North Carolina-based, up-and-coming producers and DJ duo genuinely blew my mind. Their sound was extremely unique and hard to describe. The futuristic bass music with heavy Southern rap influence blended with many other genres had the decently packed venue leaning. Although disappointed I hadn’t heard of them until recently, I definitely plan on delving deeper into their music.
Following was the debut of Luvstep 3. Luvstep, a music project produced and released every Valentine’s Day, is developed by DJs Dirty South Joe and Flufftronix. Following the theme of the holiday of love, the unique mix is comprised of melodic dubstep and emotion-enticing vocals. Although it is reminiscent of a time of being in love, it also holds qualities of solace in heartbreak. Overall, deep and intense feelings can sprout from listening.
The newly released Luvstep 3 is beatific and the journey is timeless. After saving the mix to listen to after the show, I was a little disappointed that more of the tracks used for the third mixtape weren’t played during their live set. However, all bias against Skrillex aside, dropping “Summit” featuring Ellie Goulding fit perfectly with the mission they are on. Spacey and drastically different from most of his work, the track is dream-like, which holds similarities among the tunes they usually incorporate into Luvstep.
“It actually happened on accident,” Dirty South Joe said after asking him what inspired the creation of Luvstep. Apparently this annual production was inspired by the Caspa remix of “I Remember” and born out of a dare that they couldn’t come up with a successful mix of erotic dubstep; it seems this person was proved wrong. Luvstep is only growing in popularity and, if unknown, deserves to be discovered.
The evening came to a conclusion. Couples went home to end their lovely holiday, and friends may have gushed about one or both of the amazing parties that were thrown. To put it simply, love fueled the night.
photo by Laura Piccirillo
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