(Photo credits to B.a.D Photography)
This past weekend in New York City was a date long circled on the calendars for purveyors of the groove. Diehard Gramatik fans, or Grammadicts, came from all around to see their favorite artist wrap up his international tour in NYC. The last time Denis and his Lowtemp crew all graced The City was nearly a year ago to the date for the TAOR album release party at this very same Best Buy Theater.
A two-night extravaganza, the Saturday edition was brought to you by way of headliner Gramatik with openers Branx, Marvel Years, Russ Liquid, and Slow Magic. Having seen none of these artists before (outside of Denis) we were real excited to see what each particular one had to offer. Lowtemp artists are well know for their love of live instrumentation (be it drum kits, guitars, or trumpets), and after the months of build up we couldn’t wait to see what the night had in store for the anxious crowd.
Walking through the doors towards the middle of Branx‘s opening set, you can hear his telltale glitch/future funk style that he’s already carved out for himself. The crowd was surprisingly filled for an opener that early, and it was easy to sense the massive overlap in Gramatik/Branx fans.
Coming in to the night, behind Gramatik, WRR favorite Russ Liquid was the set we were most looking forward to. His unmistakable blend of electronic and trumpet is a sound that’s simply without equal. Russ went a little trap-y on the crowd (not that we’re complaining) and when he wasn’t going off into an impromptu soul-melting trumpet solo he was dropping some fan favorites like “Feral Cat”. Overall it was a great set from one of the fastest risers on the Lowtemp label.
Slow Magic sat high atop the bill right under Denis, so naturally we couldn’t wait to see what all the positive reviews were about. Coming out alone in a light up (think tribal) mask reminiscent of SBTRKT, he laid down some of the most soothing, mellow-but-not-too-mellow beats of the night. The high point of the set had to unquestionably be his gorgeous remix of Odesza’s “Say My Name”…at this point the crowd was more than ready for Denis.
And at last it was Gramatik’s turn to take the stage. New York is a funny city, in that if they hate you, they hate you…but if they love you it’ll be a never ending love affair. The affection directed towards Gramatik is impossible to ignore; he shows love and it’s reciprocated right back. From the moment he stepped on stage the energy in the Best Buy Theater changed completely, and a set-list including tracks like “Torture”, “Expect Us”, “Hit That Jive”, & “So Much For Love” had to at least be partly the reason.
Special guests were walking on and off stage all night, as Russ would lend his trumpet talents for a track or two, then Eric Mendelson of Exmag will step on for a riff…there was a real sense of family going on all night. Towards the end of the set Adam Dietch stepped on to perform an unforgettable live rendition of “Stairway To Hip-Hop Heaven”, and soon after that the night was wrapped up. A beautiful ending to a beautiful night, with the tour now finished we’re left to see where Denis will show up next on the summer festival circuit. Keep it posted to WRR for all things Lowtemp as we keep tabs on these guys’ next moves!
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