REZZ and RL Grime shined and 5 other impressions of RBC Bluesfest
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The 2017 edition of RBC Bluesfest just concluded this past weekend at Lebetron Flats in Ottawa, having given us 9 days of music on 3 stages, with artists emanating from a variety of genres. Fans of electronic dance music had a lot to be happy about as acts like REZZ, Flume, A Tribe Called, LCD Soundsystem and RL Grime put on shows to remember. The following are 7 impressions that were made from this year's RBC Bluesfest in Ottawa.
REZZ
The sound system at Bluesfest in Ottawa got tested to the max as REZZ took control of the decks on Tuesday night. She started off the proceedings with "Warrior" by EPROM and G Jones, a personal favourite, due to its uncompromising distorted bass drop. The vast majority of the tracks played were from REZZ's own discography and the crowd loved her for it in return. The bass from the sound system was crisp, which allowed her best tracks like "Edge" to be properly showcased. With her debut album "Mass Manipulation" ready to come out on August 4th, the Canadian artist gave the crowd a sneak peek by playing a few tracks. The new stuff sounds like a continuation of her style but with certain aspects exhibiting a chunkier bass. REZZ's sound is part bass with hints of techno and dark industrial, but remixed into her own style and makes it fully into her own musical style and aesthetic. Expect a strong album and even bigger things from this quickly up and coming artist in the future.
RL Grime
Following REZZ was RL Grime, who is no stranger to Bluesfest, and showed it by giving one of the best sets of 2017. By the time the L.A. artist took the stage the crowd was massive and went nuts every chance they've gotten. RL Grime has stepped up his game this year by playing mashups and edits galore, like mashing well known tracks like Galantis' "Runaway (U&I)" and Coolio's "Gangter's Paradise" with his own tracks. His set was fresh and clearly better than any other time I've seen him in the past. I was captivated with every track, every moment. Everything done during that set had purpose, like pieces of a puzzle when formed into a piece of art. The last track was his new single "Stay For It", a fitting end to one of the best moments of the year.
LCD Soundsystem
The last time LCD Soundsystem toured, EDM Canada didn't exist. It's been a long seven years since they last toured, as I've been more accustomed to listing James Murphy DJ sets into the city calendars than the legendary band. The live layout of the band was elaborate as it sported a few synths, including a full modular synth, a trigger pad, live bass, a few drum kits and more. The full live instrumentals of the show were the most thrilling parts and even though LCD Soundsystem are among the OG acts in scene - it is these live aspects that new acts should emulate if they want to push the boundaries of EDM. James Murphy is a multi-talented artist that showed the full range of his vocals while sometimes venturing over to his own drum kit to help the crowd go into the LCD Soundsystem rabbit hole. I came to LCD Soundsystem with an open mind and left impressed by the ambition and the rock/synth/punk vibe sound environment that was created.
Migos and the crowd controversy
Migos started their set 40 minutes late because the Atlanta trio attracted such a huge crowd that the organizers wanted fans waiting in huge lines outside the time necessary to get into the grounds to enjoy the show. With a 7 pm time slot, Migos had brought in the biggest crowd that I've ever seen for non-headlining act, which was a credit to the organizers. While waiting for the trio to get to the stage, I was in the photo pit area at the front and got a first hand view of the crowd. Security did a fantastic job at bringing out fans that couldn't take the heat and insanity of the crowd. Those that required medical attention were quickly taken care of and personally did not see anything untoward.
Following the event various newspapers and blogs brought the Migos and Lil Yachty crowd up on Thursday night, with various reports of "more than 200 people" that were assessed, with fans reported of being "sexually assaulted, intoxicated, hurt after falls, or suffering from overdoses". I could not comment on these aspects as I was not a witness to these acts, but watching those kids on Thursday night reminded me back in the day when I was a fan clamoring for the front row during the Edgefest days at Lansdowne Park in the 90s. Back when Live, Collective Soul, The Tea Party, Green Day were the biggest acts of the moment, the crush from the crowds and the heat was extreme, sometimes feeling immense pressure from the crowd at the back pushing my ribs into the front row barricade. A lot of fans couldn't take it and had security help them out, just like as I saw on Thursday night for Migos and Lil Yachty. Bluesfest should be applauded for bringing in hip hop acts to Ottawa, just like they have been supporting EDM for the past several years.
Flume
In terms of electronic dance music, Flume was the biggest name to be booked by Bluesfest this year as he finished off the night to headline the mainstage on Thursday night. The stage was simple but carried a big punch as the graphics were crisp, coinciding with the style of his smooth, driving, and emotional tracks. The Australian artist had a setup that allowed to manipulate his tracks on the fly including a drum machine, that he used with frequency. The whole set was a celebration of Flume's impressive discography as he showed it off with pride and left the crowd with more than a few goose bump moments.
A Tribe Called Red
Rain and thunderstorms played a major part on Friday's performances, including recent Polaris Music Prize shortlisted candidate and recent JUNO Award winner A Tribe Called Red scheduled time. As the threat of rain and thunderstorms temporarily shut down the festival, fans packed the blues tent, as they waited out the storm. Once organizers gave artists the all clear, A Tribe Called Red gave the crowd a huge bass and electric pow wow display that included a variety of dancers invited to perform on stage. Unfortunately just as they were hitting their stride with tracks like ATCR's own "NDN Stakes" and GTA's "Help Me!", thunderstorms shut down the night early. A shame, but at least the Ottawa trio introduced a lot of new fans to their unique electric pow wow sound.
Night Lovell
Bluesfest invited some heavyweight hip hop talent at this year's edition, however, it was the local rapper Night Lovell that gave the crowd the most hype set of them all. He impressed the crowd with his boundless energy that the crowd fed off of and formed multiple mosh pits throughout the performance. Originating from Ottawa, he told the crowd that he had been coming to Bluesfest as a fan and now he's on stage. To further his Ottawa rep, he had a faux OC Transpo 97 Bayshore bus prop on stage, to which he came out of with smoke emanating from it to start his set. It's not easy to outshine bigger acts, but Night Lovell managed to pull it off.
