Excision, Downlink and Antiserum
Wednesday, February 16 at The Canal Club
The urinal in front of me is clamorously shaking. Everyone in the rest room has started screaming. Their elongated wait is over: Downlink has begun. “Perfect timing,” I find myself thinking, after waiting all day for the thunderous opening bass drop to inject into my eardrum. The crowd dances in waves of radical movement, with arms flailing, cigarette smoke dissipating into the air, and gyrating bodies in a sea of composite rhythm.
Excision, Downlink and Antiserum
Wednesday, February 16 at The Canal Club
The urinal in front of me is clamorously shaking. Everyone in the rest room has started screaming. Their elongated wait is over: Downlink has begun. “Perfect timing,” I find myself thinking, after waiting all day for the thunderous opening bass drop to inject into my eardrum. The crowd dances in waves of radical movement, with arms flailing, cigarette smoke dissipating into the air, and gyrating bodies in a sea of composite rhythm.
Making my way into the crowd, I find an eclectic mix of fans. Combinations of glow sticks and glitter, body paint and bandanas, and everything in between adorn all those around me (honestly, dubstep might be responsible for the sale of more Lacrosse Pinnies and vintage NBA jerseys than their respective sports). No matter what show you go to, dubstep has its own unique atmosphere I’ve never experienced anywhere else. It reminds me of old photos I’ve seen of punk shows, full of a raw, intense energy shared amongst everyone there. This is not to be mistaken for a frat-party dance floor or ordinary night at the club; shows like this are special.
After missing Antiserum due to a late night class, I arrived in time for Downlink, the distinctive DJ who works heavily with Excision (including a feature on the opening portion of Excision’s Shambhala mix), and is currently touring with him. The Canadian native delivered heavy hitting tracks combined with dance floor anthems and powerful synth lines. His original flow left the crowd in constant motion. Layered perfectly with some acapella lines exemplifying hip-hop’s hard knock attitude, the result produced a massive music, understood and synthesized by the audience, that left everyone captivated.
Although dubstep usually involves constant movement, each DJ has their own unique characteristics with which they get the crowd moving. With the synthesis of drum and bass lines in harsh rhythms, plus energetic metal leads, and finished off with some hip-hop swag, Excision delivered an all night dance party. The first time I heard Excision was when a friend sent me his Shambhala 2010 mix. I was intrigued by his ability to create this hour and a half compilation of the year’s most popular dubstep remixes, and wondered how a live show would be, given the amount of material. I don’t casually listen to dubstep, but when I heard Excision was coming to Richmond, I knew I’d have to be there.
Excision impressed by delivering fan favorites such as “Swagga” and “Boom,” plus some portions of the Shambhala mix, as well as fresh mixes for the hour and a half set. Even after he was finished, fans waited patiently, covered in sweat and glitter, for nearly twenty minutes with the lights on, on the small chance of an encore. Now that is dedication. Overall, Excision delivered an engaging and enthralling musical venture to a completely compact ocean of rhythmically harmonious dancers.
The power-punching dance party delivered by these Canadian dubstep DJs brought one of the most original energies to a show I’ve seen this year. It is truly one of the only experiences that connects the audience’s movement to the music, with everyone in anticipation for a rhythm or lead change to exercise a different swing. Dub Nation delivered a knock out combo with Excision and Downlink (and judging from what I’ve heard online, I probably should’ve left class a little earlier to hear AntiSerum’s mixes as well).
If you haven’t made it out to a Dub Nation production around town yet, peep their Spring Massive, coming up March 11th at the Canal Club. It will be a full feature dance party with music ranging from house to dubstep to Baltimore Club, including artists Datsik, Z-Trip, and Smash Gordon. I promise it will live up to the same riveting performance of Excision and Downlink, full of music true to the audience–with every move defined, of course, by incredibly massive bass.
Words by Joseph Genest
Images by Erik Fox/Dope On Plastic
