Bassgasm 3 at First Avenue, 2/18/11
Categories: Electronic Music, Last Night
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| Photo by Denis Jeong Plaster |
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| Photo by Denis Jeong Plaster |
| Woody McBride in his element |
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Large sculptures formed from cloth and wires were installed in the main areas, a welcome supplement to the lights and lasers that made this Bassgasm a more well-lit occasion than your normal club event. Though the Entry and Record Room were decidedly dark, the Mainroom and Mezzanine hid nothing with shadows, every DJ and dancer on full display. Without the naughty "cuddle puddles" and half-mile backrub trains that ran rampant during rave days of yore, everyone was left to focus on outfits that ranged from the stylish to the outrageous, each one capped off with a smile that conveyed a real desire to be a positive part of the event. The huge 8-hour extravaganza had precious few scowls or fists raised in anything other than exhilarated release.
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| Reid Speed / Photo by Denis Jeong Plaster |
And there were plenty of reasons for it. The third Bassgasm hit a musical sweet spot, the programming and scheduling of every stage synchronized for maximum impact. As the venue began to fill up, massive blasts of hyper-kinetic drum n' bass from the Twin Cities duo Easyrider and Greensky pummeled the Mainroom, while bTsunami and 3iD from Iowa locked down the Entry with a hypnotic mix. Reid Speed followed up in the Mainroom with a set heavy on dubstep, crushing sub-bass rattling everything in the club and prompting Speed (a perennial rave favorite) to call Bassgasm "easily the loudest show I've ever played."
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| Jen Lasher / Photo by Denis Jeong Plaster |
Rounding out the Entry, mustached New Yorker Crazy Larry brought a heady blend of house and techno while headliner Jen Lasher went back to her roots with a wild set built around on Baltimore Club beats. The Mezzanine level showcased local heroes, with an excellent stretch of DJs that included Jeff Hunter, the HotDish boys, and Matt Veloce. During peak time, UK Breaks legend Krafty Kuts played remixes of Big Boi, Dead Prez, and Linkin Park (???) to a packed Mainroom while the Record Room hosted a wonderfully versatile set from First Avenue resident SovietPanda featuring mid-tempo selections providing a much-needed respite from the maximalist insanity.
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| Photo by Anna Gulbrandsen |
The crowd: Huge, but in a good mood, and ready to dance. Nice split between the younger and older audience.
Overheard in the crowd: "Y'know, I'd much rather hear the original 'Shutterbug' than a 'Shutterbug' remix."
Random notebook dump: It's so crowded it's impossible to keep dancers off the stairs, normally a huge First Ave no-no. A raver in a Pikachu hat seems to be guided past them entirely by The Force.
Setlist: With the sheer volume of music played, it would be damn near impossible to compile an exhaustive setlist, but electronic dance music of every stripe was represented to the fullest.
PHOTOS:
Bassgasm 3: The party / Bassgasm 3: The people
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