Boiler Room is the organizer of underground DJ events that take place in front of some of the coolest (read: lamest) crowds in select cities around the world. Madlib did an awesome performance most recently, but these are the top 5 sets put on by Boiler Room throughout the past couple of years.
?uestlove
I may have been late to the Boiler Room game, but this is the set that introduced me to the event. ?uestlove is a walking encyclopedia of music history and knowledge, so it’s unsurprising that he strings together a set of diverse, yet all-laid back hip-hop tracks with an electronic influence. One dude in the crowd spends way too much time texting people and not enough time listening to the music, but at least the guy in front is enjoying things. There’s also an MC that occasionally narrates what ?uestlove is playing, such as the early remark, “that’s The Roots playing Dilla music.”
Nicolas Jaar
?uestlove’s set was my Boiler Room introduction, Nicolas Jaar’s set was the one convinced me of the event’s greatness. The artist tweaks and twiddles his way through an insane set of complex rhythms and television samples throughout this 45min+ performance. I’ve seen Jaar performing with a live bassist and saxophonist (which he does often and really adds to the vibe of his style), but this remains one of his best mixes. Crowd doesn’t seem too disinterested either, which is refreshing.
Shlohmo
Makes the list simply for starting with a chopped-n-screwed version of Rich Boy’s “Throw Some D’s” while Salva, the producer who just finished his set, waves a baseball bat in the world. It’s no surprise that this set took place in Los Angeles, and the music selection as well as the audience interactions mirror that city’s thriving hip-hop beat scene. A quarter way through is an obvious crowd pleaser, the remix to the remix to ignition.
Thom Yorke
How could Thom Yorke not be included? Especially a Thom Yorke set where he’s playing vinyl. Unquestionably one of the worst Boiler Room crowds, though.
DJ EZ
Leave it to the legendary, established UK Garage DJ from North London to finally get a crowd moving. I remember when British television was first becoming widely accessible to American/worldwide audiences and my friends showed me an episode of Skins. The characters were all at some party at a friend’s house whose parents were out of town. Nothing out of the ordinary compared to the typical American high school experience. Except for the music they were playing. I can’t remember exactly what one of the character said, but it was something along the lines of “want to take drugs and get wild to d and b?” (but with the much cooler sounding slang used by the British youth). And then they proceeded to wil’d out to electronic music, years before brostep would penetrate American shores. That tangent may or may not be related to DJ EZ’s set, but it makes sense simply because it illustrates just how much the British crowds know how to get down.
