Gallery: D33J

By: Sean Murphy
D33J
The Casbah
2 April, 2014

Wednesday, April 2, 2014, the deafening roar of a commercial airplane above Kettner Boulevard perforated the damp night sky, interrupting the muffled thumping bass that escaped from the Casbah’s doors. With their spring tour midway through, Odesza and opening performer D33J had sold out the Casbah weeks in advance.

Inside, the venue was at capacity. Throngs of panting twenty-something college students were packed like sardines on the dance floor, grooving to and fro. However, other options were available. Those who were interested in a more tame experience sat on barstools along the perimeter with a strong drink and an even better vantage point.  Nonetheless, the energy of the crowd punctuated the atmosphere with a palpable vitality.

However, at that precise moment, all within earshot had the privilege of exposing their musical palates to D33J. His experimental techno is laced with R&B and venomous guitar riffs. On the exterior, D33J purports a rare creative intensity, where his facial expressions are seemingly congruent with the concentration of an orchestra conductor. A frenzy of bobbing heads commenced to sway as D33J dropped the crowd-pleasing track “Drowning Pools.”

An overhead projector cast a glimmering jungle backdrop behind D33J as he played. Mysteriously, the image remained unchanged the entire time he was on stage, obscuring his face. Later on in the set, D33J’s mellow beats intensified to the point of a sonic Cochlear rubdown. The L.A. producer has been Odesza’s supporting performance throughout their March/April tour of the West Coast and Canada. D33J is also a contributing addition to the WEDIDIT collective. The up and coming California native had been initiated into the group by fellow artists such as Shlohmo, Ryan Hemsworth, and RL Grime.