On Friday, May 15th at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Excision, Zomboy, Yellow Claw, Ookay, Must Die!, and Said the Sky performed under Global Dub Festival. I wasn’t able to make it in time to see Must Die! or Said the Sky, so Ookay was up first for me.
I wasn’t a fan of Ookay’s performance at Global Dub Fest, and I was disappointed in Yellow Claw’s set as well. For both of these DJs, I felt as if they played very basic songs and at times, didn’t really have good drops either. It seemed that the high school aged kids around me enjoyed it though, so I felt like their set was intended for this age group. The best part about Yellow Claw’s set though was that he had one of the security guards come onstage and participate in a twerking contest with the gogo dancers.
After they performed, someone came onstage and dramatically announced Zomboy to take the stage. The announcer hyped it up very well, because Zomboy was amazing. I don’t even know how else to describe his set, except that.
Zomboy had played some Snails and some well known songs, mixed in with songs from his album ‘The Outbreak’, which came out a few months ago. It was a very well put together set, and he didn’t just “hit play”, as some people criticize DJs for doing. He knew how to mix different sounds in to make each tune sound just right. One thing I found myself thinking was that when Zomboy had his build ups before the drops, I felt 100% confident that his drops would not disappoint. And they didn’t. This is exactly how I felt about Excision as well, who was up next.
Excision performed with Executioner, which is a video and lighting feature that creates 3D images and effects. It reminded me a lot of Datsik’s vortex, if you’ve ever been to a Datsik show. Excision performed within this structure, creating one of the best Dubstep sets I’ve ever experienced.
When he first came on, I noticed people looking at each other, giving a smile, and it seemed like they were silently saying that they made the right choice coming to this show. I couldn’t imagine anyone in that crowd being disappointed because Excision’s performance was so intense and proved himself to be the best pick for the headliner of this show.
My favorite parts of his performance was when he added in Bear Grillz & Datsik’s “Drop That Low” as well as “Fuck That” by Skrillex. And who could forget when he played his own song “Robo Kitty” with a robotic cat played out by the Executioner.
Zomboy and Excision are absolutely amazing in the Dubstep genre, and if you can catch them at a show or music festival, I highly recommend it. You won’t be disappointed.
