Earlier this month, we spoke with the man behind Second World Collective about successfully promoting music in Halifax. He told us that his path to success relies on educating and creating an inclusive community for both artists and fans. A community that people can actively take part in. On Saturday night, I attended their launch party at the Marquee Club featuring Sleepy Tom, gLAdiator and Keys N Krates. The venue was packed to the gills with sweaty, dancing concert goers and the music was bumping. It’s clear that this event was a foreshadowing for what’s to come in Halifax: exciting shows featuring frontier electronic artists and happy fans.
I showed up around around 10:20, a little after Sleepy Tom’s set kicked off. The lines moved quickly and security/event staff was friendly. His set was an eclectic mix of current hits and past classics. His enthusiasm was evident in his hand gestures and head movements, and it didn’t take long to spread throughout the room. I realized quickly why this Vancouver up-and-comer is signed to Fool’s Gold (A-Trak, Danny Brown). During his set, I snuck downstairs to use the washroom and found a wealth of activity down there, as well. Another classic Halifax bar and venue, the Seahorse, has recently moved into the basement of the Marquee. While the music thumped upstairs, two locals DJs, Pineo & Loeb, spun back to back downstairs. This gave the night a comfortable, house party feel.
Pineo & Loeb
Halfway through Sleepy Tom’s set, it looked as if the club were three quarters full. Not bad, considering that people usually skip opening acts to drink cheaper beers at home. It goes to show that when you bring big name artists and word gets around, the crowds will follow.
Soon after Sleepy Tom ended, gLAdiator hit the stage. One thing that always amazes me about electronic music shows is the lack of waiting time between sets. This show was no different, as I honestly can’t remember hearing any music in between. gLAdiator are a duo from LA and are responsible for some big trap/dance tracks, like ‘Nagano,’ produced with LOUDPVCK. While one handled duties on the decks, the other bounced around the stage, amping the crowd. You can’t knock the hype man: nothing gets the crowd going then performers who are animated and get people involved. All in all, the hype plus the futuristic synth and heavy bass had the whole room bouncing.
gLAdiator
There is no doubt that both Sleepy Tom and gLAdiator stoked the crowd to a blaze for the main event. But there was no theft of show. Keys N Krates proved beyond a doubt why they are worthy of a headlining slot.
Keys N Krates
Keys N Krates are unlike almost all electronic groups; they play live instruments instead solely relying on DJing. In a recent interview with The Coast, a free Halifax weekly, the band states that they “don’t think you’ll ever see [them] wave the trap flag,” even though most would probably label their music ‘trap.’ While it’s possible that this is an attempt to avoid being slotted into a genre most view as a fad, it was evident after the first few tunes is that categorizing the band at all would be an oversimplification. While there are no real vocals, the tunes are layered and dynamic, building energy by with regular song structure, rather than the drops and builds of most trap songs. Mixing live DJing with keys and percussion creates a different atmosphere of energy on the stage. All three members played up the crowd just by doing their thing and playing their instruments. It was a real sweaty mess. Bodies were bouncing all over the place, but everyone took care of one another. There was a great vibe all around. From their classic remix of Tove Lo’s ‘Habits (Stay High)’ to the turnt up energy of ‘Hypnotic,’ every tune that I wanted to hear was played.
By the end of the third and last encore, it was well past closing time. All of the opening acts gathered on the stage and interacted with crowd. I think this is my favourite part about most electronic music; the seemingly level ground between artist and audience. If Second World Society’s mission is to continue and promote this trend, there is no doubt that that we will see more shows like this in Halifax.
All photos courtesy of SWC. Make sure you check out Grandtheft at the Grawood on February 7th. Brought to you by Rise Hali and SWC.
Read our feature on Second World Collective here.
