Pygmalion Fest: The Hood Internet, RJD2

October 12, 2009

(Picture via Stereogum)

In keeping with the celebratory, unifying nature of Pygmalion Festival, it was very fitting to end it all with a huge dance party. The last acts of the fest to play were YACHT, the Hood Internet, and RJD2 each bringing their own unique electronica / dance styles to the table. I unfortunately missed all but the last few seconds of YACHT, walking in just as electro-pop jam “Psychic City” was closing their set, so the first act I really got to experience were mash-up artists, The Hood Internet.

It’s impossible to talk about these guys without comparing them to Girl Talk, since they basically use the same formula of cutting up different parts of popular songs, turning the place into a crazy, sweaty dance party in the process.  The biggest difference I could tell musically is that Hood Internet are much more focused on modern hip-hop / top 40 pop tunes (I think the oldest song I heard was “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”), but when you got a mix that includes artists like Lil Wayne, Weezer, Kanye, Modest Mouse, and Michael Jackson, that’s completely ok. Although they have a ways to go to reach the pure euphoria of a Girl Talk show, I had a great time dancing to these dudes and would definitely recommend checking them out when they come around to your town.

MP3 The Hood Internet – Bille Wildcat Jean (Michael Jackson vs. Ratatat)

(Picture via JBW911)

While Hood Internet was about a full-out club bangin’ dance party,  RJD2 brought the slow groovin’ jams and technical prowess. While some DJs are content to mix on their laptops, RJD2 takes a much more hands-on approach with a collection of vinyl LPs that he flipped out and carefully synced.  All the while, a montage of videos that ranged from Evil Dead 2 to  vintage blow-dryer commercials to scenes from The Matrix played behind him.  It was a much more cerebral experience than you may expect from a DJ set with a variety of instrumentation and genre-mixing ranging from soul, disco, to classical.

The highlights of the set were the songs where RJD2 cut loose (such as “Good Times Roll Pt. 2.”) which allowed the crowd to go from rhythmic swaying to some good ol’ fashioned bumping and grinding.  It was also great to hear “A Beautiful Mine” (aka the Mad Men theme song) dropped near the close, which elicited probably the biggest crowd reaction of the set.  Despite a slight drop in momentum from the raging Hood Internet set, RJD2 put on an enjoyable show and provided a memorable end to Pygmalion Festival.  I’m already looking forward to next year.

MP3 RJD2 – A Beautiful Mine

Check out the musicforants.com flickr page for more Pygmalion pictures.

Posted by Taylor in Festival, Live