iBrostep comes to Chicago

By Jen Weddle

On Saturday, the Congress Theater, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, was packed with bassheads ready to dance to electronica music provided by Excision, Zomboy and Vaski.

A “basshead” is someone who enjoys an excessive amount of bass in music, and can usually be identified as a person who installs many subwoofers in their car to produce enough bass to damage ear drums.

This music definitely isn’t for everyone. The Congress Theater makes for a great venue because of the sound quality it provides, the old-world decor and the gigantic space.

The best part of any electronica concert, aside from the music, is the costumes. There were people dressed up in clown costumes, tutus, spirit hoods and other things; a guy next to me was literally covered in stickers. It’s such a great environment to dance and meet people in.

Vaski wasn’t the most popular DJ, but at 22 he’s already made quite a name for himself in the Dubstep community.

I had no idea who Vaski was before the concert, but I’ve been listening to his music the morning after. He played some really great electro-swing music, which I absolutely love.

The night was definitely full of some bass-heavy music–Vaski included–but his playlist, including “Get Down” and “World on Fire,” really started the evening out right.

The following act featured Zomboy, who didn’t disappoint with his signature black T-shirt and side-swept bangs. His music is a pleasant mix of synthpop, trance and dubstep. It’s sure to take you on a musical journey that you’ve never been on before. His playlist featured songs like “Nuclear,” “Vancouver Beatdown” and the crowd favorite “Game Time.”

I was sad to see that he didn’t include “Organ Donor” on the playlist, but he played some really great songs to make up for it.

Excision ended the night with bass-heavy music that you could probably hear three blocks away. He was the main event and it showed.

I actually came to the show for Zomboy, but ended up liking Excision a lot. It’s still not exactly my style in music, but he knows how to pump up a crowd.

His introduction was outstanding. A curtain dropped to reveal Excision in the middle of a few projector screens. When he started the music and the first bass drop hit, the crowd roared and the projector screens turned on, revealing four holes where lasers shot out. It was very cool, and the screens would change with the music and the beats.

His song, “Headbanga,” part of a collaboration with Downlink, featured skulls that were headbanging. The crowd absolutely loved it and everyone around me was headbanging as well.

I think Excision has some really good beats, but he puts on an even better show for the crowd.

Whether you’re a hipster, a raver or a basshead, you were sure to enjoy Saturday’s outstanding performances by all three DJs.