Click HERE for the full photo gallery. Photo Credit: Dylan O’Dowd of DKO Photography
Check out other OC Sundays reviews from 2012: Hardwell, Steve Aoki, Thomas Gold, Fedde le Grand & Zedd, Opening weekend with Skrillex and Nicky Romero
This past Sunday at Ocean Club was a bittersweet one for me. Bitter because it was likely the last time I’ll have had the chance to get to Marina Bay in 2012, but sweet because it was my first chance to catch a live Bingo Players set. We’ve written about these guys a ton, we’ve heard their recorded sets (Tomorrowland 2011 HERE), and the time had finally arrived for me to be a part of their crowd. Despite having not cracked the DJ Mag Top 100 of 2011, these guys had a huge year and I fully expect them to do so when the 2012 results come out. So did Paul Baümer & Maarten Hoogstraten live up to the hype?
My expectations for the night were pretty high. Now more than ever when I go to see DJs, I want to hear them play their own tracks (part of the reason to see any artist – regardless of whether they’re a band, a rapper, or a DJ), I want to hear them play songs I may have heard of but are still awesome, and I want them to blow my mind with tracks I haven’t heard of yet make me say “wow, what is this?”. Steve Angello at Ocean Club, for example, did barely any of that (he mostly played the same songs all the other DJs are playing mixed with the same songs Swedish House Mafia continue to play). Wolfgang Gartner, most recently at Identity Festival, DID do that (check out his thoughts on song selection). The Bingo Players? They fell somewhere in between.
The venue was noticeably less crowded than other times I’ve been there this summer. In trying to figure out why, I came to the conclusion that either the Bingo Players aren’t as well-known in Boston as other acts or because the Summer is nearing its end and a lot of college students (one of the primary markets for EDM) have begun relocating. Maybe it’s a combination of both but I’m definitely not complaining. After Bamboora‘s typically great set, the Bingo Players took to the booth to play a combination of well-known crowd pleasers, lesser-known bangers, and even some original tracks (though limited from what I could recognize). I want to say they opened with “Mode” but I could be wrong. Let’s just say they did because we at MMIBTY love it so much.
The actual DJing appeared to come rather effortlessly, as they didn’t seem to be doing anything crazy behind the decks – nothing short of flawlessly transitioning from one song to the next. It wasn’t long before we heard the familiar cow bell of “Rattle”, which sent the crowd into a frenzy. People behind me were sarcastically joking around asking “what is this song? It’s called Rattle? I’ve never heard it before!” but they were obviously enjoying it. This came after the Dutch duo had played songs like their original “When I Dip” into “Epic” into “Leave the World Behind”, “Million Voices”, “The Veldt” (Tommy Trash Remix) into “Language” back into “The Veldt”, and a song I didn’t recognize that had symphony-esque strings in it (I was a fan of this one).
More recognizable songs included “Niggas in Paris”, “In My Mind”, original productions “L’Amour” and “Cry (Just a Little)”, “Calling”, “Greyhound”, “Raise Your Weapon” (Madeon Remix), and “Internet Friends”. When Nari & Milani’s “Atom” came across the speakers I thought to myself , how typical. When they transitioned it into a trap remix of the song, however, I was thoroughly impressed and had to conclude that it was quite possibly this remix:
All in all I’d say the night was a success and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The Bingo Players kept myself and the rest of the crowd entertained while also keeping us dancing for their entire two-hour set. And let me tell you – they were not too pleased when they had to kill the music at 1am due to Quincy’s noise laws. I was happy to hear Sander Van Doorn’s new track “Kangaroo” because that song is an absolute banger – I just hope it doesn’t get played out too much and becomes the next “Atom” or “Rattle” or “Greyhound”. I also enjoyed the representation of Hardwell in their set as a fellow Dutchman – they played his hit “Spaceman” as well as a couple of his new bootlegs like “Squad Up In Here” and “The Way We Drop The Fire Inside”.
Don’t forget this weekend is one you cannot miss at Ocean Club, when they will be bringing Benny Benassi, Chuckie, Roger Sanchez, and Axwell for four days of madness. Check our upcoming shows page for more information. Thanks as always to Ocean Club management and to the guys and girls at Mass EDMC and NV Concepts!
Tunage:
Bingo Players – Rattle
Bingo Players – Mode
Bingo Players – L’Amour
Bingo Players – Cry (Just a Little) (Kids at the Bar Bootleg)
Oliver Twizt – You’re Not Alone (Bingo Players Remix)