Annie Mac: Concert Review

Hundreds of questions popped into my head last Friday on my way to Discotheque to see one of UK’s leading pioneers of sound and performance Annie Mac. We see it much too often regardless of genre of music, whether you’re a DJ, an artist, or in a band. How does a musical entity that is big overseas translate to success in the states? How will the crowd react to music that might be huge in the UK, but isn’t here in the states? How will Annie differ from DJ’s who have achieved critical acclaim in the states? Will anyone know who she is regardless of how powerful she is overseas?

Annie Mac answered all these questions and more by being a cut above every other DJ that played that night, enticing a crowd reaction that are few and far between.

Annie Mac is one of the most sought after DJs and live performers in the UK. She is also a radio personality hosting her own show on BBC Radio 1; her show kicks off and ends the weekend. She is renowned for playing a new eclectic and underground mix of new musical genres such as electro, dubstep, dnb, hip-hop and disco. Annie decided to take her live set stateside and introduce herself hoping to leave a lasting imprint on the music scene in the USA.

The Discotheque got off to a slow start during the opening DJ acts, where only a few select people were actually invested in the music and dancing. Quickly the tension and anticipation grew and continued on throughout the night. The venue started filling up the closer it go to Annie Mac’s set and pretty soon there was a large crowd of enthusiastic people who were waiting to see Annie. The moments leading up to Annie’s set included an in unison chant of her name building up to the moment she took the microphone and greeted the crowd.

Once Annie took the stage and started spinning, the atmosphere quickly shifted. Everyone in the venue was dancing and enjoying themselves. Not enough can be said about the differences in Annies choices of music throughout the night, mixing a set of genres that is unprecedented and mostly unheard of to most people who even attend clubs. But Annie never lost her fanbase in the crowd that night over her musical choices, no matter how obscure they might have been to most people. Instead it was like she was a teacher introducing a new concept and the students would work it out on the dance floor.

It’s a different approach to the monotony of American hip-hop that most DJ’s spin today, refusing to take risks or show anything new, instead opting to play the standard list of whatever it is that most know and want to hear. Which makes Annie so unique, regardless of what genre of music you are into, unless you are an Annie fan, you are probably going to be introduced to something new. Annie also has a great knack for playing with the crowd throughout the night, often times quieting the music almost to a complete whisper only to bring the party back by dropping a thunderous beat to a new song sending the crowd into a frenzy again. The cat and mouse approach was excellently played throughout the night and it was obvious the crowd was eating it up.

With the much publicized death of DJ AM and the upcoming Activision release of the video game DJ Hero, it’s a wonder how the mainstream will accept DJ’s like Annie Mac in the future. What I can tell you is Annie Mac is a very refreshing stamp on the club scene and something people ought to pay attention to. Expect big things from Annie Mac stateside in the future.