Check out the photo gallery HERE. Shots by Ryan Wiklund.
Another OC Sunday, presented by MASS EDMC and NV Concepts, has come and gone and another world-renowned DJ has rocked and conquered the sound waves coming from Quincy’s Marina Bay. Sunday July 8th was special for a couple reasons. First, it was resident DJ Bamboora’s birthday. It meant a lot for me to be able to share in the celebrations with him, as he is a friend of the blog, a polished DJ, and an extremely humble person in general. Second, it was MMIBTY’s first show coverage with photographer Ryan Wiklund who is a student at UVM but has a strong passion for music and event photography. I was very impressed by the shots he took and look forward to seeing what other moments he can capture this summer. Lastly, this past Sunday was my first time seeing German House extraordinaire Thomas Gold spin live, which was something I had been highly anticipating over the previous weeks. Gold is one of those guys that isn’t as well-known as the Skrillexes and the Alessos that have graced Ocean Club with their presence, but he is a top-notch producer whose songs see heavy rotation in DJ sets from the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Kaskade, Dirty South, and many more. Even more so, his live sets are, for lack of a better phrase, fucking awesome. Our boys out in Denver got rocked by Thomas Gold several months back, and his recent UStream webcast from Beatport’s Germany offices held me captive at my desk. This is not just another guy who “presses play”, but someone who methodically transitions through songs and often mashes them up with acapellas as well.
When my entourage and I arrived around 10pm I was surprised to see how relatively empty Ocean Club was. There was a lot of buzz surrounding the Skrillex, Nicky Romero, and FLG/Zedd shows so people made sure to show up early to guarantee entrance. There was, however, less buzz surrounding Thomas Gold, which I hate because sometimes the guys who deserve the buzz don’t receive it. Anyways, whatever. Bamboora was behind the decks and already killin it in his birthday suit (it was his birthday and he was wearing something as close to a suit as I’ve seen from him. Just go with it). As always Bamboora was slayin beats with both songs I knew and loved and stuff I had never heard before, all being played loudly over Ocean Club’s improved sound system.
Eventually it was time for Thomas Gold to hit the decks and boy was I ready. Clad in a black t-shirt, some gray skinny jeans, and some high tops, Gold came out with a bang and never looked back – bringing high energy and flawless mixes. I quickly realized I was getting my buzz on and made sure to keep track of the records he was spinning so I didn’t forget. As expected, Gold would play instrumental tracks mixed with vocals from other songs, like when he played the chorus from Martin Solveig’s “Night Out” over other records. He also liked to create his own live mash-ups such as his collaboration with Dirty South “Alive” mashed-up with his remix of Lady Gaga’s “Judas”, which Swedish House Mafia killed EDC 2011 with. He played a lot of bangers but also a lot of crowd pleasers and did a good job of taking his audience through a roller coaster of drops and breaks.
Some notable tracks in Thomas Gold’s bag of tricks:
- Avicii’s “Levels” (just a snip-it to rock the crowd)
- Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl feat. Georgi Kay – In My Mind (Axwell Mix)
- fRew – Wicked Woman (Tommy Trash Remix) (one of my favorite tracks right now)
- Eric Prydz – Allein
- Nari & Milani – Atom w/ Swedish House Mafia’s “Leave the World Behind” vocals
- Hardwell – Spaceman
- Justice vs. Simian – We Are Your Friends (acapella…crowd pleaser, almost every DJ plays this)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – By the Way (probably a remix, I forget)
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – Otherside (Third Party Remix)
- …and of course he wrapped up with his awesome remix of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain”
Overall it was a great night and that is something I’ve come to expect from Ocean Club and the AWESOME bookings MASS EDMC/NV Concepts have managed this summer. Thanks again to the Ocean Club staff for being so accommodating and of course to the guys and girls at MASS EDMC/NV Concepts for everything they facilitated. And lastly a very happy birthday to Bamboora. If Thomas Gold is coming to a city near you, MAKE SURE YOU SEE HIM! My one complaint, if there is one, is that he didn’t play enough tracks I didn’t know…he played a lot of tracks that are in heavy rotation with most of the DJs out there. I like hearing new stuff that makes me say “holy shit, what is this?!”
Next up for Ocean Club is Steve Aoki this Sunday and you can only imagine how wild that party is going to be. Make sure you find us for a picture and grab your tickets HERE if you haven’t already.
If you know these girls, say hi for me