CNTRL: Beyond EDM hits Washington, DC (Event Review)

CNTRL Beyond EDM has caught the attention of house music fans from across the globe. Richie Hawtin, Loco Dice, and a few other house legends teamed up to provide the ultimate EDM experience. It’s a rare concept but an educational tool that EDM listeners can use to understand the origination of the sounds we love.

CNTRL kicked off October 29^th in Buffalo, New York and recently hit our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. The daytime lecture was held at American University, where students became acquainted with the insights of Hawtin, Dice, and Ean Golden. The evening performance took place at Echostage, DC’s largest concert venue.

The night started with opening DJ Kevin Melito, who warmed the crowd up for Ean Golden. Golden set it off with the Martinez Brothers’ newest track, ‘H 2 Da Izzo.’ Unlike other performers, Golden took his controller styler performance and mixed in some old school hip-hop. His energy and funky style quickly got the venue heated up. As more fans entered Echostage, the bass grew louder and louder. Paco Osuna and his partner in crime Pollo Loco followed Golden’s performance. Loco Dice took over from there, with boss man Richie Hawtin closing the party. The music matched the concept of CNTRL: pure greatness.

One characteristic of this crowd that truly stuck out was the amount of passion it exuded. The energy at Echostage that night soared to levels unlike at any other commercial EDM gig.

In a recent lecture Hawtin mentioned,

The electronic music we make isn’t for the masses. I don’t really want them anyway.”

If you witnessed the show at Echostage or any other CNTRL event, you can probably understand where Hawtin is coming from. The event was definitely underestimated but it was clear that attendees were dedicated, tech house junkies. Everyone came together for the love of these artists, as we all united as one to share our devotion for techno. Hawtin, Dice, Osuna, and Golden are offering EDM fans a once in a lifetime experience, but in DC the true techno lovers showed up with open arms to celebrate house music.

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