Tuesday, I found myself regretting coming to my second show in the same night as soon as I arrived to Smart Bar. My energy was depleted having danced myself silly at LCD Soundsystem less than an hour beforehand and I was dreading having to get up early for work the next day knowing this would be a late night. For the first few songs of his DJ set, I had no idea Chrome Sparks was already on. A couple songs into his set, I realized that I recognized the guy in the DJ booth. Chrome Sparks kept things pretty light with songs that sounded like 90’s dance and bass-heavy music. He mixed in an interesting track that sounded like a warped version of the Mario Kart Rainbow Road theme music. Most of his transitions included a couple distinct sounds, usually paired with a simplistic high-hat or electronic bass drum beat before reintroducing some soulful vocals to bring it back to that 90’s dance vibe. He closed out his set with his only recognizable original track of the night “Marijuana,” sending the crowd into a wave of cheers before going in on the dance floor.
XXYYXX switched the vibe up immediately, making use of the venue’s capacity for intense bass. His set consisted mostly of incredibly bass heavy almost nightmarish hip hop beats. His transitions contrasted starkly, abruptly removing bass leaving only airy, dreamy-sounding simplicity before bringing the bass back as the meat of his set. He had some interesting samples including a sped up version of the Spice Girls’ “Wannabe,” TLC’s “No Scrubs,” and what sounded like it might’ve been a Sam Gellaitry track. His set was a super heavy crowd pleaser, successfully bringing life to the small, but dedicated Tuesday night crowd. Having been less than enthused upon walking into the door, I left really glad I came out that night. The set made my Tuesday night and could’ve easily been a nearly sold-out set for a weekend night. I left raving about how awesome the set was and inciting FOMO in several of my friends who would be into the dreamy hip hop dance vibe.
