Concert Review: RAC Show A Little Ego Goes A Long Way At Rough Trade
Sometimes, you have to have fun! PERIOD! RAC’s beats lit up Rough Trade NYC, and converted it into an electric boogaloo. People danced the night away as if bubbles were floating above them, and in these bubbles were the stress of their day floating away. I previously reviewed EGO as a record of electric whim and confrontations on arrogance, yet, once those songs hit the nightlife air, you wanted to be cocky.
The thing about “club life” is that it not just a place for fun and escapism; it is also a place to be brash and braggadocios. Of course, I am the last person to enjoy or condone narcissism. Yet, there is a heightened sense of confidence that people allow themselves to have in a club, of which RAC’s music plays into, despite, he, himself, being rather reserved. As the beats bounce into the air with a gaming agility, he seemingly has an invisible wall between himself and the crowd. He is not THAT DJ who says his name 20 millions times in the mic or, sincerely, believes repeatedly proclaiming “GET HYPE!” will ignite the “ultimate hype-down” in the club. Instead, RAC mixes his beats like a musician, which is unique to see, because he brings particular dignity to the mix-board. As the voices and rhythms emanate from logic-board of “music science”, he pulses every note like a guitarist would from his guitar or a drummer from his drum. He has such a focused precision that seems unusual compared to other DJ’s that can feel like “the party” itself. Instead, RAC is the “The Wizard” behind the green curtain; making fantasies that help you realize you are not in Kansas anymore.
In some ways, such an imaginative affect should have a reserved demeanor; it builds the aura of this DJ/ musician as a man truly about the music. Although I am not saying he was “cold”, he allows his songs to be the crowd igniters, and I enjoyed that. Ego is definitely an album that, on record, highlights lyrics and situations of self-awareness, but ,in the club, leaves you free from over-thoughts For More Information On RAC Click Here.
