We’ve reached an era when a rainbow of underground music cultures are right at our fingertips; we can track the progress of a talented DJ with the click of a button, enjoy a brand new, full-length DJ set while we do work on our computers, and get to know artists whom we otherwise would never encounter outside the walls of some impossibly cool basement or club.
Yes, this is the age of SoundCloud and Bandcamp, and it’s not only opening up the possibility of keeping up with underground artists — it’s also providing a complex map of how music is changing, how the past and the future are merging into one. Sunday night’s show at Great Scott with Durkin, Cyril Hahn, and Ryan Hemsworth represented a range of performers whose music blends the disparate but harmonious music cultures of house and hip hop. Each performer was different from the next, but all three sets combined to make a seriously vibe-worthy evening, a mix tape of sorts that brought the exciting innovation of the artists of SoundCloud to a vital and visceral place, performed live on stage to a packed room of dancing fans.
Durkin took the stage in an Arizona Iced Green Tea sweatshirt, a pleasant-looking fellow with serious mixing chops. His set was smooth and polished, sampling classics like Parliament’s “Erotic City” and other fan favorites while remaining true to his own beat making aesthetic. There were a few mix-ups with set times (“Would it be okay with you guys if I played for like 20 more minutes?” “Hell yeah!”), but they did little to offset the flow of the set.
Cyril Hahn has achieved an impressive degree of fame with his remixes of classics, including a rendition of Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name” with over five-million listens on YouTube that introduces irresistible house beats to the early-naughts favorite. Hahn, who was raised in Switzerland but currently resides in Vancouver, Canada, isn’t particularly loquacious, but he’s clearly in his element as he spins on this stage, bopping his cap-adorned head. His audience, too, is right on the same page as Hahn, dancing enthusiastically, a crowd of diverse ages and types; snapbacks and Doc Martens were in equal attendance.
Hahn pays tribute to a great and old tradition of house DJs, but makes the craft his own with superior music taste and a predilection for hip-hop.
Ryan Hemsworth’s set followed Hahns smoothly (not a moment’s rest punctuated the sets — it was three full sets, one right after the other, the transitions flawless), and let us tell you… it was a party.
Hemsworth was young, baby-faced, obviously happy to be where he was that night, wearing an abstract printed sweatshirt. Hemsworth’s music is almost shockingly diverse, introducing tender and sensitive piano, xylophone, and violin sounds into can’t-fail party hits peppered with heart-shaking bass. It’s not somber or boring, what Hemsworth does, though he does take familiar party jams to an unexpectedly sweet and majestic place — no, Hemsworth has mastered the balance of throwing a great party. He’s an extremely skilled DJ, and one to watch.
It was a colorful night at Great Scott, the crowd mobile and appreciative and the music thumping. The variety of types of artists the Great Scott hosts continues to impress, proving that the perennial venue is good not only for indie wonders with guitars but also very much for the house and hip hop set.