Excision | 04.03.2013 | The Jefferson Theater | Charlottesville, VA

Excision

 with Vaski and Paper Diamond

4.03.2013 | The Jefferson Theater

Photos and words by Justin Elliott

 

     Dubstep: (/dʌbstɛp/) is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London, England. It emerged in the late 1990s, and evolved from a lineage of related styles such as 2-step garage, broken beat, drum and bass (jungle), and dub reggae. In the UK, the origins of the genre can be traced back to the growth of the Jamaican sound system party scene in the early 1980s. The music generally features syncopated drum and percussion patterns, with bass lines that contain prominent sub-bass frequencies.

That’s Wikipedia’s definition of ‘Dub-step.’ Although, you can add robotic sounds, high tempo, and bass heavy breakdowns that are sure to get your feet moving, to those influences. Dub-step is an acquired sound, and such an individual flavor.  ‘The Executioner’ tour has brought together a team of artists who all claim to be dub-step DJs. I know. I too used to think dub-step is just dub-step, plain and simple. But, just like any other genre there are varieties within each label.

Vaski for example, the opening DJ on the tour, is more ‘House’ oriented.  And as a ‘house’ oriented DJ, he includes more vocals/pop songs remixed into his tracks.  The impact of Vaski’s music on ears is a little softer and more familiar than what Excision brings to the equation. And after Vaski finished his set, he came to the front of the stage where a plethora of excited fans reached for him, attempting to hand him anything to be autographed. I also praised his performance. For an opening DJ at the Jefferson, he drew a great crowd and rocked the house.

Vaski paved the way for the second act, Paper Diamond, another dub-step artist joining the tour from Colorado, bringing hip-hop influenced music to the stage. More bass than vocals, chopped and screwed, incorporating strictly hip-hop artists. Straying away from the mainstream, while still remaining familiar to common ears. And the stage lighting was unique to his name. An LED panel behind him in the shape of a diamond, sequencing many designs and colors to the bass-heavy beats being produced on stage, matched up to 20 or so multicolored stage lights scanning the crowd.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of stage production. Concert-goers now are spoiled, compared to the stage setups of the past. My dad tells me stories of his glory days, when he would go catch music in the 70’s and 80’s, but he just doesn’t know what we get to see today. He comes from a time before L.E.Ds, which now have really taken over the stage lighting industry. Even currently, what I’m about to try to do, by putting Excision and his performance into words for you to understand, isn’t going to do the show justice. The guys running lights, especially on these tours, are just as, if not more crucial, to the performance, as the musical artists are on stage.

Excision…where to begin? For starters, the stage was impressively massive. Venue to venue these guys are building and tearing down a structure over 20 feet tall in every venue they visit.  This structure contains lasers, lights and a cockpit for the DJ himself. Opposite the stage, right above the sound board, is a projector, and when I say the “projector,” please imagine a four foot long, three foot wide machine resting on a boom lift. Not your average projector, to say the least. This thing is responsible for the visuals, unmatched in the music scene. I had never seen anything like it.

And as the show progressed, the structure seemed to take many different forms. At times it was a car, then it transformed into a robot–a massive machine you’d see maybe in ‘Transformers.’ Whether it was the fire breathing robot dragon, the moving digital terrain, or the bass-dozer which (resembled a bull-dozer) the stage kept you intrigued, made you keep thinking, “what could be next?”

And then the ‘next’ came. Foam! Just before the final song, foam was sprayed out over the crowd, as if it were snowing. It was icing on the cake. And left the Crowd pleased.

To go along with the amazing one-of-a-kind visuals is some serious sound. Across the front of the stage, where the rail is at in most venues, they had assembled fourteen PK Sound bass cabinets. In other words, high powered speakers, packing a punch, with two 18” subwoofers in each one. Count it out to twenty-eight 18 inch bass subwoofers. Strapped together and to the floor allowing concert goes to literally rest against them. Imagine the rail replaced with 100,000 watts of bone crushing bass. It’s like that old Bose commercial where the guy gets blown out of his chair. This setup shook me to the core. I noticed, while reviewing the pictures I took, that some of them were shaking, but it wasn’t really the photos that were shaking, it was my body, my eyes. I’m having trouble putting the physical feeling into words, but “rattled to the bone” comes to mind. I would suggest wearing ear plugs if you plan to be in the pit at all during these shows. Rightfully so, they sell them at the merch table, in case you overlooked this while gathering party supplies.

The Jefferson Theater has been standing since 1912 and has seen hundreds of talented acts, ranging from Harold Houdini to Lotus, and now Excision. Some serious history. Excision’s performance diverged from the norm at this venue, especially when it comes to the magnitude of sound, specifically that of bass and what it can handle. Even with a recent renovation in 2006 to accommodate events like these, the building was rattled senseless. Seriously, you could hear it in the restrooms during the show.

To sum it up, Excision brought an awesome crew to the Jefferson, built a stage unlike anything I’d seen before, and provided opening acts that kept the crowd engaged throughout the night until Excision took the stage. The sound is something I’ll remember and talk about forever. Even if dub-step or EDM DJs aren’t your thing, The Executioner tour is something you have to witness. Just don’t forget your ear plugs.

I’m having trouble putting the physical feeling into words, but “rattled to the bone” comes to mind. I would suggest wearing ear plugs if you plan to be in the pit at all during these shows. Rightfully so, they sell them at the merch table, in case you overlooked this while gathering party supplies.