Pier of Fear Night One: The Haunted House Tour
New York City proved to be the place to be for most dance music enthusiasts this Halloweekend. It was no surprise to us that Pacha/Hard/Earstorm, chose to go head to head two nights in a row with the first Sensation America, transforming Pier 94 into the “Pier of Fear” for the weekend. Thousands of costumed fans showed up Friday night for the Haunted House Tour to enjoy a night filled with bass-heavy beats from Knife Party, Tommy Trash, Kill the Noise, Style of Eye, Baauer, and Destructo.
New York Native, Kill the Noise, was welcomed on stage by a roaring “Kill the Noise” chant. Opening with a bass-heavy intro, he kicked off his set with his own remix of Nero’s “Must be the Feeling,” which was synchronized with each synth and drop. Throughout his set, Kill the Noise transitioned between dubstep, hip hop, moomba, and even worked in a lengthy dub spread of Dada Life’s “Kick out the Epic Motherf*cker.” He threw some moombahton and trap into the mix with his mashup of Major Lazer’s “Original Don” with Zedd’s “Shotgun” before plunging into elephant bass with Congorock’s “Ivory.” Staying very interactive with the audience throughout his entire set, his Halloween outing should be every indication that Kill The Noise will stay relevant for 2013.
Nero – Must Be The Feeling (Kill The Noise Remix)
Last time Knife Party hit the big apple, they took over Beekman Beer Garden, and it is appropriate they return for Halloween of all weekends. Normally, their rapid transitions and steady bass drops never fail to excite the crowd, but I was less than blown away on this specific evening. After opening their set with unlreleased new track, “Back to the Z-list,” the Aussie duo drifted into their standard setlist – similar to what they served up at this year’s Electric Zoo Festival.
Upping the ante for the closing portion of their set, the boys moved through Porter Robinson’s “Unison,” their original “Bonfire,” Angger Dimas’ “Beatdown,” and Nero’s classic “Crush On You.” Overall, Knife Party played a safe but solid set that intensified the energy of the crowd. In the future, I hope to see them move out of their comfort zone; but Knife Party never fails to throw a spine-tingling party – especially one in the likes of Halloween.
When Tommy Trash took the stage following the headliners, the energy of the audience had elevated even higher. Having seen Tommy over the summer at Revel’s HQ and Electric Zoo, I didn’t expect anything out of the ordinary. However, my initial expectations were completely blown away as his Halloween performance completely changed my perception. Not only can I confidently say that Tommy played the strongest set of the night, but also I applaud him for the increased variation that he experimented with.
In the spirit of Halloween, Tommy Trash opened with his version of the eerie “Halloween Theme,” from the classic horror movie; a play on Albin Myers’ – Halloween electro -house rendition. He continued by playing popular tracks by Deadmau5 and Dada Life, before dropping some of his own crowd favorites. About 30 minutes into his set, he made a smooth transition into his remix of Aston Shuffle’s “Won’t Get Lost” and his Ingrosso-assisted “Reload.” Accompanying Tommy’s set was smoke production and an extensive lazers demonstration that I haven’t seen much of so recently.
Tommy Trash – Cascade (Original Mix)
Coming to a strong close, Tommy dropped his remix of “Ladi Dadi” and his own “Cascade.” By and large, each DJ had played great Halloween sets, and Tommy Trash proved to be a great closer for the first night at “The Pier of Fear.” It left me excited, and wanting more music; and many were amped to return the following night for All Mixed Up.
Photo Credit: Chiara Gerek
Categories: Music