As we hit July yesterday, we're one step closer to Made Event's end of summer annual romp, Electric Zoo. Although the festival is the crown jewel of the Made Event lineup, their summer nights on Governor's Island are nothing to scoff at. DAD had the pleasure of attending one of their summer romps when Congorock, Madeon, and Benny Benassi came to town on June 23.
Congorock, Madeon, and Benny Benassi are three names every house head knows by now. But have you seen them DJ? Up until June 23, I had only seen Madeon before, but after seeing the three of them take down Governor's Island, I won't miss another chance. Arriving just before sundown, Congorock had the crowd purring and moaning with his eclectic selection of tribal-infused house music. Congorock's energy was truly infectious as he dropped big hits in between lesser-known smashes. Having been a fan of Congorock for a while, I had always wanted to see his sets specifically. As I predicted, anyone who makes a track like the ever-so-creative monster "Babylon" is going to be stellar DJ.
As good as he was though, it was French prodigy (yes, prodigy) Madeon who really stole the show. Like a seasoned veteran, Madeon walked up to the decks in an effortless manner, slipping off his blazer and letting his first track ("Night Out") fly. From there on Madeon executed flawless mixing with perfectly-timed samples erupting the crowd with an adventurous and electrifying set. Nu-disco, electro house, acid house, tech house, french house, Madeon mixed fearlessly, controlling the crowd with the flick of a few buttons. "Oohs" and "aahs" could be heard through the entire hour set, but the crowd hit a new level when Madeon performed his famed "PopCulture" routine. While some DJs choose to mix a smorgasbord of Beatport Top 10 hits, Madeon instead does something different, cutting and splicing pieces of different songs, weaving together a sonic fabric unique to the event. As Madeon grimaced and contorted his body to the beat and bits and pieces popped and sparkled from the booth, it was awe-inspiring in the way you'd marvel at a Rube Golderberg machine work with all of its moving parts. So while many of his counterparts simply mix records with CDJs, in many ways Madeon's Ableton set embodies what a true DJ is supposed to do and elevates it to a new level. Headliner Benny Benassi took the decks after to close out the event.
With the sun down and the lights out, Benny let the crowd's anticipation build before he let loose. As the creator behind the seminal "Satisfaction," Benassi surely holds a special place in raver's hearts. For many, "Satisfaction" was their first true exposure to dance music and to those people he may never live up to that again. To those with an eye on the present, Benny wowed in a way that would only be expected. Dropping a number of lesser-known tracks, Benassi laid it down with his hard-hitting house rhythms leaving the big anthems like Alvaro & Mercer's "Welcome To The Jungle" and Skrillex's "Cinema" remix to accent rather than define his set.
All in all, Made Event proved once again their talents for producing quality events with relevant and timely programming choices and facilitated a masterful example of top-flight DJing. With the summer progressing, be on the look out for more info on #EZOO5 and our picks for the festival!
