Needless to say, Jonathan Davis of Korn possessed all of these things when he was becoming his DJ alter ego J Devil: Plenty of downtime between albums to twiddle with knobs and settings on digital audio programs, a rock star salary, and guidance from such dubstep gurus as Datsik and Skrillex.
Hence, his side gig laying dubstep doom and gloom on Korn crowd's before concerts and at various nightclub appearances, both of which he'll do tonight at both Comerica Theatre (when the nu-metal pioneers perform) and later at The Path of Totality afterparty at Crescent Ballroom.
Much like a aforementioned long-haired and bespectacled EDM icon that he collaborated with on Korn's recent dubstep-dusted disc The Path of Totality, Davis has followed the path leading from hard rocker to hard-charging dubstep purveyor. As the above video illustrates, he's keen on killer drops and gorey grinds.
His sound mixes quite brutally with that of local dubstepper Sluggo, who has the honor of opening up for Korn not just tonight but also during all the stops along the band's current tour. He'll also be appearing alongside Davis at the afterparty.
Sluggo's wrathful sound is far more violent and vicious than most of his fellow producers from the genre (as he lays on the bass like a B-52 carpet-bombing sortie), so we wouldn't be surprised if Davis gets a few pointers from the dude. And also possibly from Mendez, who releases his shizzle on Sluggo's Ultragore Records imprint and will also perform at the afterparty tonight.
It's the first time that such heavy-duty tracks will pour from the Crescent's finely-tuned sound system and ricochet off the trendy concert hall's wooden rafters, which will probably result in a wild and memorable gig, as well as some unusual reactions from the hipsters drinking in the adjacent lounge.
And who knows? It might just get more of the cool kids into dubstep as a result. They might just ride their fixies to a fancy coffee boutique like Lux tomorrow morning and state "Man, I know Korn is nu-metal bozo rock, but J Devil sounded pretty pimp cool last night."
Korn is scheduled to perform tonight at Comerica Theatre. (Click here for more info.) The Path of Totality Afterhours will then follow at 11 p.m. at Crescent Ballroom, 308 North Second Avenue. Admission is $10. Click here for tickets.
