Raw energy and heavy trap beats psyched out the crowd at the Majestic Wednesday night as Paper Diamond and a string of solid openers killed it in the last leg of the Raindrops North American Tour.
Tyler Minford of former-duo Louis Futon kicked off the night just after 9 p.m. with chill vibes and sassy electro-jazz. While the artist has said his music can’t be defined by genres, his style is certainly lighter and more soulful than the two bass-heavy trap acts that were to follow. He described his music as “smooth shit … you can make babies to.”
And given the velvety flow of last night’s performance, Minford clearly knows a thing or two about sexy, sonorous tones. His track titled “Silk” is a testament to his relaxed approach with its steady and polished drifts. It was these silky streams that made Louis Futon my personal favorite artist of the night. The crowd, however, was anxious for the more hyphy tracks characteristic of Paper Diamond’s glitch beats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mojxWfnK4zU
As if on cue, next up were LA natives Dan and Ian of gLAdiator, who delivered on the glitch the crowd was seeking and riled the Majestic with their dynamic duo of personality. These guys definitely turned up the speakers and dialed up the energy of an audience ready to get down.
You could tell the DJs were having just as much fun as the crowd as they cranked out their unique sound with mad passion, emulating a deep house music that pulsed through the entire theatre. This was to be expected as gLAdiator is known in the electronic music world for its trap tendencies and eager projection of uninterrupted tracks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHu2KFzw8KY
In addition to their signature songs, the duo spun some genre-bending remixes on hot dubstep style songs. The crowd was definitely feeling it; the combination of blaring beats, enthusiastic DJs and flashing lights proved a successful segue into the main act of the night.
Paper Diamond made it out around 11:15 p.m., and in spite of the buzzkill of a sudden power outage toward the end of his performance, he kept the tunes blasting until 1 a.m.
The anticipation as frontman Alexander Botwin took the stage was high, and mirrored the eagerness of waiting for beat drops, as proved to be the main trend of the night. Heavy on the trap influence, Paper Diamond’s stint was marked by a succession of bass-induced beats, which were interspersed with the classic “drop” characteristic of this class of music.
As the sound built and built, hearts pumped in thirsty anxiety for the DJ to kick back the sound. It takes a practiced producer to create that kind of suspense successfully, but luckily Paper Diamond has been around the block a time or two.
Having released his first album in 2011, Botwin may seem a relative newbie to the scene. However, it was back in 2010 that Paper Diamond had his first big break in signing with the almighty Pretty Lights Music, and he’s been paving his way to fame ever since. Even the much loved Diplo and Friends have said “every festival in the world is not complete without booking Paper Diamond.”
He’s indeed performed at a fair share of festivals, with his presence at Coachella, Electric Forest, Lollapalooza, Electric Zoo and Bonnaroo already earning him high accolades.
In a divergence from his festival schedule, Paper Diamond proved his chops at the Majestic in a distinct performance marked by a strategic use of vocals and experimental melodies. The result was danceable vibes that were met by pure satisfaction from the crowd. Paper Diamond knows what’s good.
