From the instant this show was announced, it was undoubtedly going to be one of the biggest nights for electronic music in the city. With a cult like following and explosion of popularity this year from playing virtually every stage in the world from here to Australia, the phenomenon from Niagara Falls (or possibly space considering her out of this world sounds) that is REZZ took to The Hoxton for the release of her new EP, Something Wrong Here. Accompanying REZZ in this celebratory event are local heavy hitters Melissa Calavera and Cosella. The night would be filled with each artist’s interpretation of infectiously groovy house music.
The line literally wrapped around The Hoxton as REZZ fans eagerly waited to see this one of a kind artist. Inside, the already packed venue was grooving along with Cosella’s selection of dance inducing tunes. The Toronto native and OWSLA affiliate was just as much into the tunes he was spinning as the crowd was as both the crowd and the man on stage couldn’t help but to dance along to Cosella’s stellar set with sounds like Cosella’s remix of Destructo’s Catching Plays and Cosella original, Elevator. As the night progressed, the shuffling turned into two stepping, which turned into a much tighter two step as the venue had gotten increasingly packed to the point where it had seemed that it may have been packed to capacity. The banging beat of Cosella’s set waged on and the people kept dancing with what little room they had.
After Cosella’s lengthy house affair, REZZ took to the stage in front of some intergalactic visuals coming from The Hoxton’s newly acquired LED screens sporting her iconic all black outfit and trippy spinning LED glasses. The world renounced twenty-year-old from Niagara Falls received a warm welcome from the packed house as her dark sounds hypnotized the masses. Amongst the dark marriage of the swirling, pulsating dark techno house, REZZ took the time to commemorate a loyal fan in the crowd who had come with a homemade REZZ flag by giving them a custom pair of REZZ branded headphones, similar to the pair that the young DJ was currently sporting. That humbling moment of fan appreciation didn’t put a damper on the festivities as REZZ went right back into spinning some dark and bassey tunes for everyone to enjoy. From dubstep to drum and bass, house with a touch of trap, REZZ’s sound selections, including Bassnectar’s Bass Head and Gesaffelstien’s Pursuit, really convened with REZZ’s unique sound. There were moments that were mesmerising to witness when REZZ dropped some of her original tracks. For example, there wasn’t a mouth in the room that wasn’t singing along to her track Lost with Delaney Jane or a hand that wasn’t spinning along with the woman commanding the crowd during her track Plague.
At the end of the night when the house lights went on and the packed patrons of The Hoxton piled out into the streets, there was nothing but excitement and high praise for the events that played out that evening. It’s nights like these that make me immensely grateful of how incredibly versatile and vibrant the city’s electronic music scene is and how inspirational it is to see fellow home grown music fans grow to takeover the international landscape, not only with REZZ but Cosella and Melissa Calavera as well.
