Concert Review | Matoma, Elephante, and Youngr at the 9:30 Club
On what felt like a warm summer night in the middle of February in DC, three amazingly talented names in today’s electronic music scene performed at the 9:30 Club for a sold out crowd to raise money for the American Red Cross. Booked by U Street Music Hall, Matoma, Elephante, and Youngr lit up the 9:30 Club stage in rare fashion at the iconic rock club.Playing to his debut release “Out of My System,” Youngr started the off night with an array of sounds, mixing some of his hits like “Ooh Lordy” and “Remember” with classics from Daft Punk and the Gorillaz. A UK-based artist by the name of “Dario Darnell” who decided to go out as a multi-instrumental one-man band after making a name for himself as part of the electronic pop duo “Picture Book,” Youngr has quickly made a name for himself in the nu-disco and R&B scenes, giving the audience a new rising star to cheer for in 2018.
The second act of the night was the progressive house DJ Tim Wu or “Elephante,” who has electrified house audiences with his collaborations with Nevve and BISHØP to form hits “Closer” and “Catching On.” The Harvard graduate and Michigan native, whose stage name is a reference to the phrase “elephant in the room” describing his unhappiness when working at a corporate job while trying to be a musician, Wu took the iconic 9:30 to new heights with an electrifying array of LED Lighting and stage imagery that lit up the entire venue. Playing his famed remixes of Lorde, Big Raiders, The Magician, Zedd, and Selena Gomez, Elephante really got the crowd moving and showed just how versatile the 9:30 club can be.
The night ended with truly vibrant performance from the Norway-based Tropical House DJ Matoma, who rocked the 9:30 Club with his hits “All Night,” “False Alarm,” “Girl at Coachella,” and “Staying Up.” His performance incorporated a wide of array of genres from techno to tech house to nu-disco, and included a captivating collage of stage scenery that took the audience on a world tour. His use of a Nord Electro keyboard in synchronization with the end of “False Alarm” was an ambient and powerful finishing touch, and his encore to “Staying Up” left audiences eagerly waiting to see what Matoma has in store for 2018!
