Producer Netsky excites crowd at Air + Style festival


By
 in ,

Belgium drum and bass producer Boris Daenen, commonly known by his stage name, Netsky, hit the stage at Olympic gold medalist Shaun White’s Air+Style on Saturday. Air+Style is a two-day festival that occurred across the street from USC in Exposition Park. The festival featured two different stages with art, fashion and technology exhibits and most importantly, a signature 16-story high snowboard jump where the world’s top snowboarders went head-to-head with daring tricks and leaps all weekend.

Air + Style also showcased music for a weekend of fun and immersive experiences. Included in the festival lineup were many musical stars, including J. Cole, All Time Low, Haim, Incubus, A-Trak and Netsky.

Netsky was first introduced to the music industry as a teenager, booking shows in the EDM world.  He was heavily influenced by artists on Hospital Records, an independent record label from South London that specialized in drum and bass and liquid funk, which is a drum and bass style that has many instrumental layers and vocals. In 2009, Netsky was signed to Hospital Records and released a self-titled album in 2010, as well as a second album two years later called 2, which reached number one on the charts in Belgium. He’s released singles and remixes since then, with his newest single “Rio” taking off, especially after being featured in London’s 2016 New Year’s celebration. “Rio,” featuring artist Digital Farm Animals, is a feel-good funky track with an infectious bass and upbeat horns that does exactly what EDM is supposed to do: make you want to dance.

Netsky did just that when he took the stage at Air+Style as a part of his North American tour entitled Netsky and Chill. Netsky played an hour set on the City Stage of the festival, which featured LED video panels and was doused in lights, helping to create a stunning performance.

Although Air+Style featured many DJs Saturday, Netsky stood out from the rest because of his unique style and refreshing beats that got the crowd moving. While other DJs simply played back tracks and would sometimes grab the mic instead of focusing of their mix, it was easy to tell that Netsky was performing everything live, all thanks to the help of the master of ceremonies Script MC.

Script MC is one of the most well known EDM MCs today, and works to highlight the performance rather than himself. The music artist has worked with Netsky in the past on the Netsky Live project, where the DJ performs with a full live band and real instruments.

The Netsky Live show provided the high energy entertainment that many other EDM artists sometimes lose because it’s hard to capture the crowd’s energy on stage with just a DJ set. Highlights of Saturday’s performance included a stellar remix of Drake’s “Hotline Bling,” a mix featuring the catchy melody from Justin Bieber’s “Where Are Ü Now,” and of course, Netsky’s original track, “Rio,” which had the crowd, and even Netsky himself, grooving all night long.

There’s definitely a lot to look out for with Netsky, as he is an amazing up-and-coming artist in the EDM scene. Another album is definitely on the way, and Netsky will hit radio stations soon, especially at the rate he’s going now. Netsky has an interesting and unique sound and a captivating live show that draws his audience in, differentiating himself from many EDM artists out there. Time will only tell what great things this young artist will do, but in the meantime, be sure to check out his music.