The Electronic New Year: 4 EDM shows to get excited about in 2015
Electronic Music has come a long way in the last few decades, changing and creating new subgenres constantly, to the extent that artists and fans alike have adopted a “what’s next?” attitude to the genre. While no one knows for sure what style will sweep the EDM world next, here are a few shows coming to Philadelphia in early 2015 to get your year rolling.
1. Rustie at Union Transfer, January 9th
In the wake of the massive explosion of trap music in the last few years, a plethora of artists have come out of the woodwork with interesting and new takes on the genre, creating sounds that just barely fit the constrictions prescribed by genre altogether. On such artist is Rustie, a Glasgow native who’s known for what he describes as “laser-trap”, a combination of synth-heavy chords and arps over heavy trap beats that utilize analog synthesis over a classic 808 sample for that heavy sub-bass sound. He just recently released his newest album, “Green Language”, this past August.
2. Cosby Sweater at North Star Bar, January 15th
Cosby Sweateris an electronic music trio most notable for their live performance-focused approach to the genre. Sporting hip-hop-style breakbeat rhythms from drummer Jeff Peterson, with both ambient and aggressive synthesis trading off over top by David Embry, the band ties it all together together with enticing Tenor Saxophone riffs and some smooth EWI work by Nicholas Gerlach. Cosby Sweater has managed to create an incredibly unique sound that takes the genre into a more band-focused direction, departing from the typical “one or two dudes in a booth twisting knobs” experience from many typical electronic shows today.
3. Giraffage at Johnny Brenda’s, January 30th
Charlie Yin, better known by his stage name Giraffage is a relatively new arrival on the electronic music scene. Receiving major recognition after the release of his remix of “Lionhearted” by Porter Robinson, and his coinciding work on Robinson’s “Worlds Tour”, Giraffage has been skyrocketed into the spotlight. Defining his genre as “idk idc whatevr dude” on his Facebook page, Giraffage’s tracks take hip-hop and trap-style bass music to an ambient and vibey new level, focusing on smooth beats and chords over aggressive building-shakers. Giraffage is definitely a name to watch in the upcoming year, as no doubt will not only he be brought to the forefront of the newest wave of electronic music, but also the numerous artists who are bound to emerge with styles influenced by him.
4. Datsik at The Electric Factory, January 31st
Dubstep powerhouse and bass-music mixing master Datsikwill be returning to Philadelphia touring his Down 4 My Ninjas EP. Known for his brutally heavy bass drops and his genre-hopping sets, Datsik has become a staple for bass music fans everywhere. Considering the popularity of bass music, there’s no indication that it will be going away in the new year, and you can be sure that tons of new sounds will be coming from Datsik.
Tickets and information on all these shows can be found at the XPN Concert Calendar.