Output had the privilege of hosting one of the hottest names in the electronic music industry, Duke Dumont, last Friday and man did he show up.
The multi-talented Englishman joined New Yorkers on the 10th of March to throw what was an incredible night in this awesome Brooklyn venue. With his skills for producing, songwriting, and DJ-ing, Duke Dumont has gained recognition as one of the top world wide. Duke has had hits on the top of the charts, as well as a good reputation when he takes on the DJ booth. His level of mastery also comes from the fact that Duke has been in the game for about ten years now, starting his career in music on 2007. It is no doubt. However, that the talent Duke has matured to create the phenomenon Duke Dumont is.
The night started at around 11 p.m., when Duke’s opener Dave P. was killing it with his techno tunes. The crowd’s anticipation for Duke’s entrance grew and grew as the minutes went by. By 2 a.m., both the downstairs and the upstairs floors were extremely crowded.
The excitement of the audience was somewhat overshadowed by the discomfort of being stuffed like sardines in Output. Out of all the times that I have gone there, this is one of the most crowded I have seen the place, which sadly was an issue for many in the crowd until around 3:30 a.m. when people began to leave. Nonetheless, Duke was doing an incredible job of lighting up the party with his energy and of course incredible DJ-ing talent. He came on strong by playing his famous “Need U (100%)”, which has almost 30 million plays on Youtube. I guess that even a spot as spacious such as Output can get that filled up when you have such a name coming to play.
As soon as Duke began to play his most famous songs, one could see the smiles of the people light up across the floor. Friends were grabbing each other, dancing, singing, and just giving in to the music.
What I really liked about Dumont’s set was that not only did he play his greatest hits like “Need U,” “Ocean Drive,” “I Got U,” and “Won’t Look Back,” but he mixed some unexpected tunes and genres into the equation. It is not often that I hear Michael Jackson’s “Danger” and Eric Prydz’s “Opus” played on the same night by the same DJ, but Duke Dumont just made it work.
The thrill of his set lasted until around 4 a.m., at which point the dance floors were more breathable but still packed. From the minute he entered until the minute he left, Duke Dumont’s set was just on point. Within his genres, Deep and Tech House, Duke was able to feed the audience their musical needs, giving a little bit more with each new song being introduced. Dumont created an atmosphere that, although crowded, allowed everyone to release their worries and just give in to the pleasure of music. It might have been freezing outside, but just for a few hours, Duke made the sun of summer shine from the Output stage.
Here is a recorded 5 hour set, for your enjoyment:
