The air rang with electronic beats and the walls shook with bass in the Higher Ground Ballroom Feb. 7.That night saw the Emancipator Ensemble, Odesza and special guest Real Magic all releasing their unique flavors of electronic dance music. The night?s first act was Real Magic, whose real name is Drew Englander, a one man show and electronically-based singer-songwriter. Through singing, playing guitar and controlling his own beats on each song, he was able to produce a sound unique to himself and provide a musically appropriate opening act for the other artists. Odesza, the featured opener, is a dynamic duo consisting of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, who dished out their own take on electronic dance music. Mills and Knight seemed to be having a great time themselves, each enjoying a Pabst Blue Ribbon while controlling their respective beat machines. Odesza?s sound featured glitched-out vocalizations and heavy bass. ?Odesza was able to captivate the crowd and transition the tempo from mellow beats to an all-out dance party,? first-year Erik Kernan said.Emancipator, aka Doug Appling, led fans through a set of jams anchored by his own selection of self-produced beats. The ensemble, starred violinist Ilya Goldberg, accompanied Appling?s melodies, introducing a human element to the performance. ?It?s not really a normal concert experience,? fan Tom Testa said. ?It?s more of a two hour musical journey.?Fans applauded toward the middle of the set in response to the 2011 song ?Elephant Survival,? which featured booming bass lines. Emancipator played until nearly 1 a.m. after being called back by fans hungry for more. Instead of chanting for one more song, a fan near the front row yelled ?one more set!?Though there wasn?t enough time to satisfy this diehard?s desire, Emancipator delivered a three-song encore. Emancipator?s latest album, ?Dusk to Dawn? was released Jan. 29, and is available on his website, emancipatormusic.com. Be sure to check out the free download of Odesza?s latest album as well, ?My Friends Never Die,? on their website odesza.com.
