Vancouver Embraced What So Not (Event review)

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By Ryan Hayes


What So Not took over the Commodore Ballroom this past Saturday for a rock laden set with hip hop sensibilities and traditional DJ interludes. From an artistic standpoint the entire set was a step above the regular DJ affair, incorporating drums, a sample pad, and a dedicated guitarist—in other words he definitely wasn't just pressing play. Leaning heavily on original productions, his set was spanned the breadth of his career; all the way back to now classics Jaguar, and the Branchez remix of High You Are.

Felix Cartal recently took to Twitter commenting pointedly on the current state of generic DJ sets: “DJ's please play more of your own music, if people bought a ticket to see you, they want to hear your songs.” Luckily for fans in Vancouver that has never been a problem for What So Not. More than quick-to-fame DJ's with a trendy banger or two What so Not falls in to the Flume, Bassnecter, Alison Wonderland, and Rezz camp...focusing on artistry and atmosphere. He has created a fervent following of die hard fans and proven himself as a true artistic talent with a strong stylistic vision.

That being said the DJ portions of his set were well timed, and filled with crowd pleasing, commercial inclined hits, including; a sing along of Toto's classic hit Africa, Skrillex' headbanging anthem Chicken Soup, the now customary Bodak Yellow remix, and the perfectly fitting theme to Stranger Things. Perhaps the one drawback this style of show were the transitions out of the DJ segments back in to What So Not's live material. Occasionally there was dead air and a rapid change in energy. Regardless, any lull never lasted for long, and the audience immediately forgot the second a unique live element took over. The drum solo during a live edit of GOH, and the live vocals for We Keep On Running were definitely highlights.

After a quick hour and fifteen minutes the lights went down, and What So Not walked off stage. If the show had ended there it would not have been enough for Vancouver fans, however, we were graced with a twenty minute encore roaring to life with a thunderous rendition of Divide & Conquer. It was easily the strongest continuous segment of the night. If you have a chance to catch What So Not on his Beautiful Things North America Tour PT2 don't miss out.

Bud Light House Party Tour and interview with Nervo

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By Dominic Wren

As it comes to no surprise, Bud light pulled off another killer night for their Bud light House Party Tour when it made it's third stop in Montreal. It’s great to see a major beer company allowing fans to be closer to there favorite artists as it really brought the community together. At 10pm sharp, the long awaited Aussie DJ duo, Nervo, came to stage, opening their set with their brand new single “What Would You Do For Love” (Sedliv Remix). The crowed freaked.

For a party of a capacity of about 100 people, it felt like there were 500 partiers. This was some of the best artist to crowd interactions I’ve ever seen. People having posters, Nervo responding, smiling and talk to individuals in the front row. The two Australians keeping the party to a Big Room House (pun not intended) vibe, they were rocking with “Blah Blah Blah” by Armin Van Buuren (Bassjackers Remix) and “Dreamer” by Axwell Ingrosso and many more.

The next morning I sat down with these world-renowned artists for an interview. While the Nervo twins created a very chill and relaxed atmosphere, I first asked them what they thought of this idea of playing at a house party. They both jumped to express their love of the idea. The two-minute-older sister, Olivia Nervo, mentioned that it was a great vibe: “normally big shows and festivals are all about entertaining the crowd, but this was more of an intimate night between us and the crowd” just a “great vibe.” Mariam Nervo expressed that “variety is the spice of life” so playing at these rare opportunities is truly special for them. The Bud Light House Party Tour has been rocking through out the whole summer, stopping in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Bud Light smashed their first stop with French Montana in Vancouver, then Ty Dolla $ign in Toronto and finally the major beer company reached out to Nervo to host their last house party of the summer in Montreal. “We were super excited for the gig” said the Nervo sisters.

These two ladies work insanely hard to make the best music they possibly can. They casually explained that they frequently fly between LA and London just to get the sound that want. While sipping her tea in the hotel lobby after a big night, the older twin, Olivia, said: “sometimes we fly to London just to finish a mix. The mix we get in our room over there is just… Better.”

The question was brought up about why there are so fewer female DJ/producers in what is known as “the top 40”. The younger twin, Mariam Nervo, voiced that female DJs tend to stay in the techno world, but today we are seeing more and more female DJs become more “mainstream.” Olivia pitched in with a very good point expressing that when they started making music, they made melodies on the piano and wrote down their songs on paper then they would go to a producers house where they could use his computer and his system to produce and it was always a little bit intimidating. Now software and professional programs are easily accessible just from your computer in your bedroom. “Within the next ten years, I think the number of female DJs and producers will explode” added Olivia. It’s a part of the industry that will soon be changed.

Source: Nervo FB

According to Nervo, the knowledge that coming from a certain part of the world is unfair for people trying to “make it” is completely untrue. “Any industry, if you want to be at the top, it’s hard” said Mariam. The duo also mentioned that most people think that LA is the artistic hub of the world but artists who live in LA trying to “make it” say that they feel it’s over saturated. Olivia confidently responds: “It’s a fair playing ground, you just have to be the best.” She added that she’s received an email from an Iranian producer seeking help claiming that he is one of the few EDM producers in Iran because that genre of music is actually illegal there. So to conclude that segment, anywhere you are in the world, it’s a grind claims the Nervo duo.

These two ladies were off going to Fabulous Las Vegas the very next day of the Bud Light House Party. Nervo will be on the road from now until October 13th where they’ll be touring in many cities from the USA to Europe to Asia and South East Asia. If Nervo is playing near you, then make sure to grab your ticket and your best friend and take part of a memorable night.