This past weekend, LFTF partnered with Mixed Management, FoF Music, and Dubspot to present Shlohmo, Salva, and RL Grime at The Studio at Webster Hall in New York City. Here’s how the show went down, as told by our contributor Jonathan. (All pictures by Aaron Leder)
 
 

Around 6:30 p.m. on a chilly September 17th, the pavement outside Webster Hall was relatively barren. There were a few passerbys checking out the posters for the upcoming concerts and the Hall’s staff preparing for the night’s entertainment, but other than that, the street was pretty still.

 

It was a special night for Webster; they were hosting three events. In the main hall, Pepper was playing a show and in the other portion of Webster there was a weirdly themed prom. I more than willingly snuck a peak into the Sublime-ish group’s set and the prom, only after watching some drunk dude start a fight with the bouncers and inevitably vomit on the street. Yeah, the dude was arrested and his friends added to the entertainment as they tried to convince security to let them and their uncontrollable friend into the show, but it didn’t prevent the night from being a huge success.
 
 
Hit the jump to check out pictures and further recap from LFTF’s very first show
 
 

 

Underneath all this, in the Studio, RL Grime took the stage just after 8 p.m. with his comedically large gold-link chain tucked under his collar. At first, the crowd was pretty thin. This didn’t stop Grime from enjoying himself (if I had a nickel for every time he smiled…) and mixing jaw-dropping beats that inevitably roused the crowd. About a third of the way into his set, I paused my wacky white-person dancing with my buddies to scan the room and take in the atmosphere. I didn’t even realize because I was too engrossed in Grime’s killer performance, but the crowd became increasingly dense… to the point that it was a little hard to move on the dance floor. People were packed in, sweaty and drug-induced, clearly enjoying themselves and the company as there was not a single moment when nobody was not dancing and soaking in the good bad vibes.

 

 

 

The atmosphere was infectious; the crowd felt connected to everything Grime pumped out and it sent emotionally stirring and synchronized waves of pleasure and excitement through the audience at each beat transition. It showed that Grime really knows how to work a room and the flow of his set benefited greatly from it. He started off strong with heavy bass numbers that were perfect for dancing and transitioned into a little bit of a slower feel with less heavy bass and calmer atmosphere. Tapping the brakes was a good move; it gave people a chance to relax their dancing shoes, grab some more juice, and take in the music. Grime finished up in stellar fashion. He crafted some heavy-ass drops that got noticeable ”OHH SHIT!”s from the crowd. People were going nuts.

 

 

San Francisco beat-guru Salva was the next to take the stage. His set did not go as well as RL Grime’s; I can’t pinpoint why though. Maybe it was because RL Grime blew the fucking lid off the room, or maybe people were taking a break, or maybe people left… who knows. Whatever the reason, there was a noticeable shift in feeling. We were all pumped to see Salva and thought he played a pretty formidable set in terms of the music he introduced, but I guess when it comes to a live show, crowd reception is key, and in that department he lacked a bit.

 

 

Shlohmo was the final performer and my lordy did he kill it. Arms were flailing, glow sticks were glowing, and the over 200 people in attendance went wild. Just to give you guys an idea of how attractive Shlohmo’s set was, at this point I was relatively exhausted and took refuge on a bench in the back of the venue for a few minutes. The crew and I watched as scores of people were pouring into the tiny Studio not from the ticket entrance, but from the doors that led to the other portions of Webster Hall. Before we knew it, the 200 or so people exploded into more than we could even count as a bunch of prom participants joined Shlohmo and the rest of us in a wild closing sequence.

 

 

 

 

Shlohmo’s set was similar to RL Grime’s, most notably in the way that he roused the crowd. He alternated between original works–playing cuts from Bad Vibes and previous releases–and DJing. To be honest though, it didn’t matter what he played, each drop was invigorating and resulted in seemingly involuntary reactions from the crowd. People couldn’t help but be moved by his evolving beats. You could feel the deep bass in your throat and chest to the point that it should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn’t thanks to each song’s pure dopeness. Even Shlohmo himself felt the energy; at numerous points in his set he jumped in front of the DJ table to go completely ham with the rambunctious and celebratory audience. When he finished, we all groaned. It was hilarious. Nobody really even left immediately, we wanted more.

 

 

 

 

Eventually, the lights rose signaling the end to a great night. Overall, the show was a huge, huge success. It was jam-packed with energy and overwhelmingly entertaining. Big thanks to Shlohmo, Salva, and RL Grime for putting on a wonderful show, and of course to Webster Hall and Mixed Management for letting us be a part of this awesome event.

 

 
 

Thanks to everyone who made it out Saturday night. Look out for more LFTF-sponsored shows in the very near future!