When you see the best show of your life, do you know it? At what point does it surpass the best memories you have of shows you saw when you were younger, the first time you saw one of your favourite bands (finally), or that time when that upstart hip-hopper blew your mind in a club smaller than your parent’s den? And if you haven’t seen every show you are going to see in your life, how do you know if this new favourite show is, in fact, the best show you will ever see, and not just the best you’ve seen so far? You don’t.
You just stare in disbelief at a stage occupied by three prominent drum and bass DJs: Dieselboy, Bare, and Messinien.
The draw of these three established beatmasters was obviously enough to get CLUB919 past the awkward “too empty to really have a good time” stage and right into a fair enough number of people to pack the dance floor if the beats were enough to draw them forward.
The beats were enough to draw them forward.
The beats were enough to draw the people in far-reaching towns who didn’t come to the show out of their beds and forward.
The beats were… okay, I don’t want to overstate this, but I will. The beats were otherwordly. Transcendent. Massive. Heavy as a really heavy thing. Skullfuckingly good.
Messinien should MC every party everywhere, ever. It wasn’t enough that his beats were sprinkled with Black Sabbath and Metallica samples (fuck yeah!), and that his logo resembles that of the Alcoholicas themselves, but he actually rapped as he spun his beats. Rapped. As he spun his beats. This was something that I had heard whispered about in urban folklore, yet bearing witness to it was really something else. After Messinien’s set, he ended up staying on stage to pump the crowd for Bare and Dieselboy and became pretty much my favourite person ever in the process. I wanted to hug him and high-five him simultaneously, forever.
Bare was a looming presence onstage, a thick, sturdy man who looked like he was ready to kick our ass, which he did, and rather solidly. Bare had deep grooves in his d’n’b and he also was this night’s closest thing to pure dubstep, which always gets the kids excited. One thing I’ll always remember about Bare’s set is how bass almost rattles your lungs and heart if it’s really, really loud and really, really clear (has 919 upgraded their system again?).
And then, Dieselboy. And then, realization. This guy is perhaps or definitely the world’s best drum and bass DJ. Something about the energy he exudes. He’s not flashy or rambunctious or hyper (that’s Messinien’s job, dog bless him), but Dieselboy locks it down tighter than anyone. Workmanlike yet creative. Fast and hard and loud, but understated at times, and leaving room to breathe. His set was a thing of beat magic and sample sorcery.
So, here’s what I’m wondering: If you just saw the best show of your life, how long does the high last?
Dieselboy was the best show I’ve seen as well. When I left the *small* venue I saw him in in Boston, my friend and I looked at each other and agreed that that was the best thing ever. Amazing drum and bass. Blew my fucking mind.