Review: Laidback Luke at Marquee NYC

Having been to Lavo NYC a few times to see some big name acts, I was more than excited to go to Marquee NYC for the first time. It wasn’t just going to the new club for the first time that had me so energized, but non other than the Dutch super hero, Laidback Luke, would be taking over the decks on that very night.

I have always been a huge fan of his productions, and got to witness him showcasing his hits at the one and only Ultra Music Festival in 2012, where he just put on a stellar set for the crowd on the main stage. I also got to witness him perform in a club setting at Montreal’s New City Gas, where his Mix Mash teammate Oliver Twizt and Benny Bennasi were both opening for him. In short, his club performance was something else; the high energy, the combination of his music with the best tunes of the time, all the bootlegs, all the unreleased tracks. There aren’t many EDM DJ’s that have mastered the use of the CDJs and the DJM mixer the way LBL has. His proficiency with the Pioneer equipment allows all of his creativity to be unleashed on the dance floor, and Marquee was a perfect example of it.

We reached the front door of Marquee at about 12:45am and I’m glad I was on a list and didn’t have a ticket, because as my name was being search on this list, Laidback Luke came walking into the front door. And for a brief minute, I got to speak with him, shake his hand, and he was telling me to be really excited for the night, and to say the least, that in itself made my night. As I walked in and made my way down the hallway into the main room, I noticed a few things. I noticed how the TAO group managed to give us New Yorkers, the feeling of Vegas by mimicking many key attributes from the Marquee LV. I also noticed how packed the floor was and how energetic the crowd was, even though it was only a Wednesday night.

Laidback Luke did not disappoint, yet again. His set was full of energy and had the crowd dancing for 2 hours. He played all his classic hits including “Dirty Talk,” “1234,” and “Turbulence,” as well as his new hit single “Pogo.” Luke kept the crowd going with great bootlegs including a “Make Some Noise” & “Spaceman” mash-up from Chuckie and Hardwell, “Years” & “Cannonball” from Alesso and Showtek featuring Justin Prime, and a bootleg featuring the radio heavy hitter “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. A highlight of the night was when he played his unreleased collaborative track with Harwell “Dynamo.” The crowd was jubilant and on their feet the whole time, everyone was enjoying the music, including fellow DJs Alesso and Sebastian Ingrosso, as well as Brooklyn Nets forward Kris Humphries. In the end, it was a great performance, and I cant wait to see him, again, at the National Hotel pool for his annual Mix Mash Pool party on March 21^st.