Avila, Koyu go Generation Wild at Majestic

The Generation Wild Tour, consisting of EDM DJ’s Deniz Koyu, Danny Avila, dBerrie and Mikael Weermets, came to Madison’s Majestic Theatre Tuesday. They’ve been on tour in the U.S. for 12 days and have played eight shows so far, hitting up colleges such as Penn State and performing with Dayglow. The Majestic was full of people ready to rave and party. Concert-goers eagerly awaited for Koyu’s hit single “Tung.”

“This is always very exciting for me,” Koyu said in an interview with The Badger Herald, “We had these really fun college shows. This is new for me because I’ve never played [them] before. There’s so much hype here in the States… People here really follow the scene and follow all the DJs and know the new tracks. It’s different than in Europe. The scene is old and there’s more tradition there.”

The focus of the tour is definitely up-and-comer Avila. The extraordinary thing about Avila is his success at such a young age. He is already a full-fledged DJ and producer with followings rivaling those of producers who’ve been playing for many years. He was publicly lauded by Tiësto and had three different residencies, which are consecutive shows at a specific venue for a season, in Ibiza. He will also perform at Coachella and at the Main Stage of the Ultra Music Festival. He was listed as “One to Watch” in Billboard Magazine’s “21 Under 21” list, a title also bestowed on Chief Keef and Joey Bada$$.

Avila’s story starts at an extremely young age. He started DJ-ing around 12 years old and began producing music. He performed at birthday parties and learned by experimenting and from friends for the next three years. At the age of 15, he decided to leave everything behind and move to Madrid to further his career.

After being noticed by Fedde le Grand while performing in Benidorm and touring with him, along with others famous acts such as The Black Eyed Peas, he was able to secure a residency in Ibiza. There he drew the attention and support of Tiësto, securing even more residencies, extending his career further and culminating with today’s Generation Wild Tour in the U.S.

“It’s pretty crazy; if you told me this four years ago, I wouldn’t have believed it. [My success] went really progressive… I started playing in Madrid, then Spain, then Russia and then the States. It keeps building and building,” Avila said in an interview with The Badger Herald before his show. “On one hand it’s really crazy; I have fun. I do what I want [to do], which is the most important thing. On the other hand, I get to see my family really rarely. Also my friends… I left Marbella, where I used to live, because I couldn’t reach the next level there and moved to Madrid. I love music so much…I left my friends, family, everything. It was a hard decision.”

The Madison stop of the Generation Wild Tour attracted people trying to enliven an otherwise normal Tuesday night. Avila knew when to drop the music or excite the crowd by changing the beat from a traditional House boom-boom-boom to a Dubstep-esque boom-kuh-boom-kuh. He played his hit single “Breaking Your Fall” early on to excite the crowd.

One could see why this youngster was attracting the attention of successful producers and blowing up. He has charisma and youthful energy. He has been likened to Justin Bieber in his appeal to the masses. Despite being a Tuesday night, Avila kept his energy high. He seemed to genuinely enjoy performing - a teenager who can’t believe his good fortune and is reveling in his situation.

“I love every single aspect of this career,” Avila said. “It’s so much fun, I don’t call it work…. That I can do what I want to do, I feel so lucky and thankful.”

The energy ebbed and waned throughout the night. Concert-goers didn’t arrive in force until about 11 p.m., and even then the Majestic was only about a quarter full. Those who were there definitely were into the continuous hours of House music, which refused to cease even between set changes. The atmosphere, however, was a little strained with the lack of a big name producer and with Koyu, arguably, being the most famous performer. The audience alternated between casual conversing and excitedly pumping their fists. A big change in the beat or the initiation of a drop would pump up the crowd for a bit but eventually would subside into the same average dancing. The show had the feel of a night out at a club, with alcohol and mingling being the focus. The concert ended with satisfaction from the crowd but no true feelings of elation.