Thomas Jack DJs in LA

On Saturday, Thomas Jack returned to Los Angeles to kick off a two-night residency at Sound Nightclub in Hollywood. The tropical house DJ played to a packed house after an opening act by Dutch duo The Him. While Jack is not necessarily the typical Hollywood club DJ, a line formed down the block of people eager to witness one of his notoriously laid-back sets.

Revered as the inventor of the electronic music sub-genre “tropical house,” Thomas Jack worked his way through the mainstream and commercial music scene at just 20 years old. His breakout hit single “Final Speech” launched him to the top of the Hype Machine charts in 2013.

Since then, he has built upon this success with making captivating remixes of popular songs as well as producing original music. Utilizing live instruments such as saxophones, flutes and trumpets, Jack’s beats are mellow, yet upbeat. His music instantly transports listeners to a warm summer day at the beach, reminiscent of the Australian native’s home country.

At Sound, Jack proved that his wave of success will not be crashing any time soon. Known for varying his sets at each performance, the DJ played a mix of fan favorites and new material. The crowd was energized for his most recent hit “Rise Up,” which features vocals by Jasmine Thompson. Everyone sang along to the relatable lyrics and danced to the catchy flute melody. The song is just a preview of what is to come from the DJ as he continues to work on his debut studio album.

In an interview with Your EDM, Jack hinted at transitioning away from his traditional tropical house sound.

“When I first started making tropical house with people like Kygo, I thought it was the dopest sh-t ever,” he said. “It still is, I still love it, but for me it’s already done.”

He continued to reflect about the balance of playing new material without alienating his current fan base.

The positive reaction to the music Jack experimented with at Sound on Saturday proves that he has been able to find that happy medium of continuing to change up the electronic music scene and catering to the people that have listened to his music from the start.

Thomas Jack will perform again at Sound on Oct. 1.