Bassnectar | Event Photos | Buy FREESTYLE EP
Gramatik | Download Beatz & Pieces Vol. 1
The days leading up to this show felt like weeks. Every once and awhile an event comes around that you are especially confident in. A show that you know is going to be at the right place, filled with the right people. At Bassnectar shows, everyone is family. And as for the Palladium? Debatably the best venue in Los Angeles. One of the world’s music capitols. I mean what else could you ask for? “A good opener!” Well, that night we just happened to be in luck: Gramatik’s been on the up and up, especially since we interviewed him, and Bassnectar wanted the crowd to have only the freshest beats as a warm up. Enjoy the pictures and scope the full review of their sets after the jump!
Why does it always have to be such a rush to get into shows? Why don’t I just learn from these mistakes and go earlier! Sounds so simple. We just barely missed Gramatik’s intro, and it was very safe to say that things were looking up. Hands in the air. Side to side. Heads bobbing. Clouds rising. This set just got everyone in the mood to get down. As his set went on, he turned to harder electro jams, as opposed to his usual, laid-back productions. After we tried to fanagle (yes I’m making up words) our way into the crowd from the front right, we noticed that Gramatik had a guitarist playing live with him! Laying down the absolute funkiest riffs that seamlessly matched up to Gramatik’s beats. It’s a shame there was an LED screen blocking the guitarist. It put the show into a new light for me. After some serious, hot and steamy foreplay it was nearly time for the main attraction.
About 20 minutes of transition time later, Bassnectar took to the stage. His set started off like any other set. He let’s his gratification of the support from the crowd be known. Bringing everyone together for what’s about to take place. Once it became clear our opening song was “Here We go,” I got a flashback of his 2010 set at Audiotistic festival. Which, before this, was his best performance I had ever seen. Little did any of us know that what Bassnectar was about to put down before us would be the pinnacle of his career. He played for two and a half hours. We kept thinking he was going to end, but the songs didn’t stop. The first new song he showcased was Infinite, a grimy head banger that turns quickly into high energy d&b. Everyone was down. Everyone was together through the entirety of the set. Time Warp. Bass Head. Lights Remix. Where Is My Mind Remix. Immigraniada. He had the crowd fully together with these tracks on rapid fire.
Between these high demand tracks he had our feet moving relentlessly to the bounciest, grimy dub and the hardest trap. Bassnectar has such flow when he’s moving around and dropping beats that it captivates you. His wicked hair isn’t any less hypnotizing. The entire floor was in sync with the music. Groups of strangers became friends through opening dance circles for everyone. Smiles all around.
After everything that had taken place, one couldn’t help but ask “How could he possibly end this set? He’s played every single song we wanted!” As his set drew to a close, it was evident Bassnectar didn’t want to stop. But unfortunately it was time. He warned us that the following track was really going to be his last. “Does anyone want to hear a 30 second remix I did of Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades?'” I could never accurately put the beautiful chaos of that 30 seconds into words. I just wish I could personally thank him for the wonder that was his two and a half hour set. A show of this caliber is few and far between, and for that, Lorin, we thank you.
