Marquee Theatre
April 2, 2011
Wolfgang Gartner (a.k.a. Joey Youngman) took an interest to electronic music at an early age. Gartner taught himself how to DJ by making remixes with a recorder and tape deck when he was only 12 years old. In 2007, he began producing house and techno under the name Wolfgang Gartner.
Since then, he has collaborated with Mark Knight and Deadmau5. He has also remixed the works of MSTRKRFT, Tiesto, and Britney Spears, among others.
Gartner stopped by The Marquee Theatre last night in honor of his new single, "Illmerica." He stood atop an elevated platform that displayed words, colors, and American flag imagery. The set was similar to Girl Talk's lay out -- only Gartner had a larger stage that was set further back.
Gartner didn't need a swarm of people on stage. He didn't even need to talk, his music said everything that needed to be said.
They maintained their stamina throughout Gartner's set, which clocked in just shy of two hours. There were only a handful of people standing on the sidelines, most of which stared hypnotically at the various jesters waving glowing lights in their faces. The rest of the room danced nonstop, and the energy was contagious.
The audience was warmed up by Harvard Bass' powerhouse performance. His long set was complete with a few false endings that built suspense for the rest of his songs. Appropriately named, his bass-heavy set drove the crowd to dance, jump, clap, and yell "woop-woop" on command. The girl dancing on stage in a bikini may have helped too.
The room was full of young folks who were least 16 years old. Although they're too young to get into clubs now, last night was one more reason for them to count the days until their 21st birthday.
Critic's Notebook
Last Night: Wolfgang Gartner at Marquee Theatre
Personal Bias: I usually listen to electronica when I drive, so it was nice to walk into a venue with my dancin' shoes on.
The Crowd: Young and very colorful. There was plenty of bare skin, sunglasses, glowing items, and even a popped collar here and there.
Overheard in the Crowd: There was more dancing than talking, so here's some random bathroom banter.
"She sleeps all day and goes out all night"
"Is she still in high school?"
"Yeah. She forced me to move in with her. It's super gay."
Random Notebook Dump: I could have sworn "Illmerica" sampled a Justice song.
