EVENT REVIEW: Pendulum (DJ set) at The Guvernment 09-12-14 by Richard Granholm

Friday evening was an exciting and emotional night for bass heads of Toronto. Fans of Drum & Bass travelled down The Guvernment for the projek: Pendulum (DJ set) featuring locals Marcus Visionary and Lush. The event celebrated Destiny’s 21 year anniversary, and was hosted by BNE Event Services, Destiny Events, Electronic Nation Canada, and INK Entertainment.

Perhaps, the aspect I love most about Drum & Bass shows is that I get to take part in a whole different culture. Instead of neon clothing, shirtless guys, and kandi, the venue was filled with simple attire and darker colours. I have nothing against the norms for rave culture, but seeing the subdued dress reminded me that we are all here simply for the music – and it’s a great feeling.

Marcus Visionary was already laying down a deep Drum & Bass set when I arrived at 11 p.m. I’m not a Drum & Bass connoisseur myself, so I was unable to identify any of the tracks; in fact, many people may not have been able to, but we were loving the vibes nonetheless. As the night grew closer to Pendulum, the once-spacious venue filled up very quickly, and you could definitely tell the excitement was building.

At 12:30 a.m., El Hornet and MC Verse from took the stage. Huge cheers erupted, as an epic intro segued into the popular track Witchcraft. Another immensely popular track Blood Sugar followed, with hints of Knife Party’s Bonfire being hinted at throughout. El Hornet began dropping some powerful tunes by other producers. No matter what was played, the energy was kept high, and everyone stayed on their feet. In fact, even though we were in The Guvernment, there was still room to dance; the place was full, but not oversold like many shows that occur there before.

Other tracks dropped that night included Crush, Propane Nightmares, Fasten Your Seatbelt, and Tarantula. Some of these were the originals, while some were remixes or heavier versions – all satisfying to hear. They also played some surprises, such as the trap tune Double Bubble Trouble by M.I.A., and Smack My Bitch Up by The Prodigy. The night was closed with Slam and Watercolour, in which El Hornet and MC Verse said some tearful goodbyes to the crowd, and to the Guvernment. After some musical silence and the proper goodbyes, Lush then took over the decks to close the night off.

It will be a long time before we are graced with seeing a Pendulum DJ set again. And, it is the last time we will ever get to see them at The Guvernment. The night that was experienced Friday was beautiful, and one that will be remembered in Torontonians’ heart for a long time. What’s next for Pendulum? Hopefully, the rumoured new album coming from them will come true – and if we’re lucky, a full reunion of the band.

LINKS:

Pendulum
Official Website
Facebook 

El Hornet
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Twitter 
SoundCloud

MC Verse
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Twitter 
SoundCloud

Marcus Visionary
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Twitter 
SoundCloud 

Lush
Facebook
Twitter
SoundCloud

BNE Event Services
Website
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Twitter

 

Richard Granholm – EDM TOR