This past Thursday, I decided to head over to the Paradise Rock Lounge to check out the German Electro House band, Digitalism. Some friends of mine who had attended Hard this year told me multiple times that Digitalism killed it at the festival, so I had high hopes for the show. While on the bus there, I was practically giddy with excitement. There’s just something about live electronic shows that naturally gets me more excited than seeing a DJ set.
First of all, the Paradise Rock Lounge is such a happening venue. As you walk in, you’re met by a large bar with a scantily-clad bartender and a spacious dancing area directly in front of a decently-sized stage. I use “decently” because it’s not a huge stage like Ruby Skye’s stage in San Francisco, but the performers are still able to run and jump around like little kids in a third grade showcase, but I’ll get to Digitalism’s antics on stage a bit later. As it got closer to 11:00, I noticed that there wasn’t nearly as much room as I thought there was; the club started filling up rapidly as soon as the openers were finished. When the crowd grew larger and larger, I took a look around the other side of the venue and noticed another bar crowded by people who were begging for drinks before the show started. Looking up, my eyes came across a second level of the club, where people were able to look out over the balcony and get a full view of the performers and the crowd. While the maintenance set up the stage for Digitalism, I walked upstairs to get a better look. The second level was spacey and had soft roomy couches situated against the walls for the weary and, to my surprise there was another bar upstairs. It seemed to me like the Paradise Rock Lounge’s main purpose was to get everyone there over 21 years of age hammered. By the time Digitalism came on, Paradise Rock Lounge’s staff had succeeded.
While on the balcony, I caught a glimpse of all the equipment that was on stage before Digitalism’s first song came on the speakers. With a live drum set, a drum pad, 2 synthesizers, a keyboard and a mic stand, the stage looked exactly like a Guitar Center; a semi-organized clutter of expensive sound equipment and 3 1/2 ft tall LEDs that spread across the stage. I kept wondering, “why do they have so much equipment on stage?”
Hammered or not, everyone started shouting “Digitalism!” as the clock struck 11 and the lights shut off. An intro song played on the speakers before the band came out and consequently, the crowd and the stage were both showered in cool blue lights. Shouts from the crowd grew louder and louder as everyone got more excited for the next two hours together. As if it was rehearsed, the members of Digitalism came out one by one and basked in the exclamations from the crowd such as, “We love you!” and “You’re the best!”. The drummer started playing the beat of an epic song that sounded like it was straight out of Lord of The Rings, but it was almost inaudible over the roaring applause from the crowd. When multiple 3 ft tall LEDs started building up to the drop by flashing white and blue lights, I ran down the steps from the balcony so I could be a part of the magic that was bound to happen on the main floor.
The patrons in the crowd weren’t the only people having an awesome time; Digitalism looked like they were having even more fun then us. The singer would run from synthesizer to mic while the drummer switched from live drums to drum pad every other song. The keyboardist switched from the keyboard to the synthesizer showing us that he too had more than just one skill up his sleeve. If that wasn’t enough, in between all of the craziness, they told us to “Jump!” and “Get ready for the drop!” whenever they felt they needed some more excitement. I think my favorite part of their performance was during their song “2 Hearts” where the entire club was covered in a red aura as the projector showed an animation of two Digitalism hearts coming together. Everyone was smiling. Everyone was happy. You could just tell that everyone loved Digitalism.
If you ever have the chance, I highly suggest going to see Digitalism play a live set. I’ve never seen their DJ set, but I’m sure that it’s still an awesome experience. They know their fans, they know their music, and that’s really all they need to put on an awesome show. Oh, plus their ridiculously good at making music; I guess that’s just an added bonus.
Here are a couple tracks to get you guys started. Don’t forget to follow these guys on Soundcloud, support them on Beatport, and become a fan of them on Facebook.
