April 5, 2012
Sutra
Last
night the legendary Israeli psychedelic trance DJs and electronic
band Infected Mushroom had a unique DJ set at the always posh Sutra
in Costa Mesa. In typical “Element Thursdays” fashion Sutra brings the top EDM DJs to our backyard–and this was no
exception. Since forming 15 years ago Infected Mushroom is king when
it comes to playing hard, non-commercial metal and electronic
music. Last night, they delivered.
]
Opening
DJs Mehdi and Menikmati set the mood with their high energy sets as
the club filled with Infected Mushroom fans and Orange County
club goers. Early on, guests were bobbing their heads enjoying the
music and the scene as they awaited the main act of the show.
Menikmati really stole the show as he played all our favorites (such as a
sick Gotye remix) and some Daft Punk to get the party started. At one point a “cute girl” (as he said through the microphone)
unplugged one of the speakers, but the crowd kept raging.
Sutra
was different this evening. The usual sexy go-go dancers
and the foamy glow sticks (which I sometimes get tired of but have
gotten so used to) were both missing. Instead the club was very dimly
lit and fog filled the room. It felt like we were in a old grungy
warehouse party. Fitting for Duvdev and Erez as they took center
stage a little past midnight.
Insomniac
Events CEO, Pasquale Rotella was in the house hanging out in the VIP.
As soon as Infected Mushroom got on decks he came over to shake their
hands and say “Hello.” Is it possible that we could be looking to
see Infected Mushroom at Electric Daisy Carnival again this year?
After all, this year has harder acts on the bill, as the
infamous Q-dance stage makes its way to America for the first time
at EDC Las Vegas.
Infected
Mushroom brought an insane amount of energy into their DJ set which
featured mostly only their own produced tracks. The crowd got wild as
they played their well-known songs while lasers and colorful lights
changed with the music. Their eerie older songs like “Saeed” and
“Muse Breaks” had fans waiving their Israeli flags and getting
crazy on the dance floor. When they finally played “Becoming
Insane” I lost it and got wild on top of a DJ speaker too.
Even though I didn't know all of their music it was a good change of
pace from the same top 10 beatport songs and radio songs I hear at
every club nowadays.
Critics Bias: I liked how they
kept true to their music and played mostly only their own produced
tracks even if the crowd didn't know them at times.
The Crowd: Was interesting and a
mix of die-hard Infected Mushroom fans, hard-style lovers, and then
the typical club rats and lovely familiar faces you see out and about
in Orange County.
Overheard in the Crowd: “I
don't think OC was ready for Infected Mushroom.” Maybe not, but
kudos for bringing acts that aren't so mainstream and still put on a
sick show.
Random
Notebook Dump: They
did play a remix of Skrillex's “Breaking a Sweat” that I enjoyed.
Could it be that dubstep is really taking over and here to stay?
