When I realized Darren Styles b2b Gammer would be making a stop in LA on their b2b tour, I knew I couldn’t miss out.
My last time seeing the duo was at EDC Las Vegas and the sound and beat brought me back to my initiation into happy hardcore years ago. As I hadn’t kept up with the genre, I spent the week prior to the show catching up on all the newer tracks and reminiscing about the older ones. This was the perfect way to ease into the Saturday show because the pair dropped so many oldies and goodies! The final Darren Styles b2b Gammer show in Los Angeles took place at The Belasco Theater. I’m a creature of habit and typically frequent the same clubs so I was excited to branch out to a new venue. When I arrived the outside security was exceptionally rude but once inside, the rest of the night was perfect.
I arrived at about 11, which was right when the opener, Jay Cosmic graced the stage. Though he was advertised as the opener, I heard that Darren Styles played a solo set beforehand too. I had heard of Jay Cosmic before but hadn’t really listened to much by him but I’m happy I did not miss out on his set. His sound and style were the perfect compliments to the event. He played a range of trap and hardstyle type tracks and clearly beamed with energy. The audience lapped up his sound and moved to the rhythm of his beats.
Once the clock hit midnight, it was time for the main event. Darren Styles b2b Gammer!
The duo burst onto the decks with 100% pure energy. They began perfectly with “Party Don’t Stop” their collaboration with happy hardcore heavyweight Dougal. Throughout the night they enraptured fans with hardcore and happy hardcore originals such as Darren Style’s “The Sun is Rising” and Hixxy’s “Rock the World” interspersed between remixes such as Gammer’s edit of Nero’s “Promises”. Every so often they would drop trap or hip hop but the audience seemed to love it as the tracks flowed effortlessly with the style they were serving.
One theme of the night was obviously bringing happy hardcore to the fans. Multiple times they shouted out how amazing it was that two happy hardcore DJs sold out a venue in Los Angeles. I definitely agree as this shows how there is an audience for more hardcore shows in this area. Hopefully, we continue to see more and more shows like this come around.
To me, love was another theme of the night, one that transcended the music.
Throughout the set, I saw how much Darren Styles and Gammer love this scene and love their fans, I saw how much the audience absolutely love the DJs and the music they play and lastly, I saw how much Darren Styles and Gammer love and respect one another. There was even a proposal on stage at the show, something that doesn’t happen very often!
Going back to back with another artist is an intimate affair. You’re playing off one another, listening intensely to what the other is playing, beat-matching and melding rather than overpowering each other. Darren Styles and Gammer have played back to back for years but what made this special was that this is to be the last time this would happen in this form. The DJs were not shy about how much they revered one another, either. Right at the end of the set with their remix of Porter Robinson’s “Sad Machine” playing in the background, they both got on the decks and told the audience to make some noise for their friendship and Gammer repeatedly referred to Darren Styles was his best friend. It was the perfect way to end the night and to wrap up years of back to back sets.
Didn’t get to attend the tour? Check out Darren Style’s Mini-Mix 2017 to hear some of the new tracks they dropped!
Did you attend the show? If so, tell us what you thought in the comments!
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Featured Photo Credit: JbillzPhotos
