Aside from Mark Twain and a slew of insurance headquarters, Connecticut is probably only behind Alaska in musically inclined states. Okay, that’s an exaggeration. But being the awkward middle child squeezed between the honchos that are New York City and Boston, Connecticut can thank the EDM gods that a brilliant, influential young EDM artist like Nathaniel Rathbun, better known as Audien, can call it home. And as if to accept the warm ‘welcome homes’ from his ardent listeners lacing the intimate venue, Audien held little restraint in reciprocating that home turf alacrity during his recent Connecticut show.
Whether the home court advantage or just the nature of his addictively good-vibed songs, Audien put on a dangerously enthralling show, and looked like he was thoroughly enjoying himself too. A small venue, resulting in a significantly smaller crowd then he’s probably used to, he played the crowd into an utter state of exhilaration like a professional DJ should be able to do, but with a rare personal touch. Though we weren’t all familiar faces of family and friends, I hope there was some differentiating sensation of comfort playing to his home crowd; not a set to an audience, but a big dance party to his music-loving friends.
Sure, I’m a die-hard listener and was excited to hear my favorite tracks, but what I appreciated most about Audien’s live performance was his finesse in creating an appropriate cadence throughout the entire set. Instead of the typical – and tiring – build up into massive drops, Audien used powerful beats, remixes with mass appeal, and epic melodies to drive the energy in his set – a little groovy “Gecko” from Oliver Helden, his catchy Bruno Mars remix of “Treasure,” and the song that wrenched every nerve in my body, “Sun Wayfarer.” For a young DJ, it’s impressive how much of his set is his own work. For something harder, he played “Ciao,” for something more lyrical, his “Pompeii” remix; I respect that he’s created a comprehensive repertoire for himself to stay integrious to his own work.
I started my year off right with this show, and I hope starting his year at home was rejuvenating for the young DJ, as I have no doubt he’ll have a massive year of musical adventures this year. And to avoid sounding fulsome in my compliments, I’ll end it with this: the tracks we can’t peel our ears away from and this one show are small testaments to the immense potential Audien has for 2014 and beyond as a producer and DJ – now if that doesn’t get you excited, I don’t know what will.