On Saturday, October 15th, living French electro-house legend Mr Oizo tore the roof down at Webster Hall to celebrate the release of his spectacular new album. The celebration was part of the venue’s weekly immersive dance party, Gotham.
Webster is by no means new to the electronic dance music scene. They’ve established themselves as one of the front-running venues to scope out new dubstep artists with their BASSment Saturdays parties. In addition, their prolific ‘Girls + Boys’ events have deemed to be a hot-spot for some of the most popular DJs currently in the scene: Justice, Skrillex, Alesso, MSTRKRFT, Wolfgang Gartner, and Boys Noize – just to name a few. Earlier this year, in July, Webster Hall unveiled their latest weekly party: Gotham. The party quickly cultivated a loyal following of techno/house lovers by branding themselves as “an immersive weekly party that will re-inspire your love of the night”. Ever since ints induction into the NYC nightlife scene Gotham has booked only the most internationally beloved artists, proving week after week that they are here to stay. The combination of dark techno beats and a series of acrobatic and dance performances that take place throughout the evening really set Gotham apart from any experience that other venues have to offer.
This week was no different. If you’re not familiar with 42 year old french electro-house producer and film director, Mr Oizo, chances are you’ve heard the song that set him on the same caliber as fellow legendary French electronic acts such as Justice and Cassius, his minimalist 1999 track “Flat Beat”. We joined him at Webster to celebrate the release of his 2016 album, ALL WET, which features a myriad of collaborations with highly-respected artists including Skrillex, Charli XCX, Boys Noize, and Siriusmo.
The evening began with a phenomenal warm-up set by resident Gotham female DJ (and certified badass), Dischetto. To say that she got the crowd going would be an understatement. She dropped a filthy set, full of hard-hitting untz’s and heavy bass. The combination of the two, along with her signature dark minimalist sound, prepped and primed the audience for Mr Oizo‘s performance. Before he took over the decks, the venue dimmed the lights to reveal a beautiful aerial performance by two resident dancers above the center of the dance floor. Paired with Moderat‘s nostalgic track “A New Error”, the act was truly awe-inspiring and truly complemented the essence of the evening.
Mr. Oizo claimed his throne at around 1am – a glass of champagne in one hand and his headphones in the other. For the next hour, he threw down a solid combination of tracks off his new album and a series of oldies but goodies. The crowd went particularly wild when he hit them with his collab with Skrillex, “End Of The World”. He wouldn’t be at legendary status if he didn’t have a couple of tricks up his sleeve though. About 3/4ths into his set Mr Oizo played the timeless house classic, “Riverside” by Sidney Samson. He showed no mercy in delivering heavy beats and the crowd showed their appreciation by dancing their socks off from beginning to end. Needless to say, it was a very successful release party indeed.
