Before there was shuffling, before there was dropping the bass low, before there was dubstep or the wholesome title of EDM, there was techno. And with techno came Darude, and on Saturday night Darude came to Ybor’s EDM fans' favored spot, The Ritz. The whole night there was a storm brewing, and we all know what kind.
It’d be unfair to not include every imaginable adjective when describing the show. Epic, spectacular and incredible come to mind. The night was an absolute blast, even opening acts such a local openers Lizzy Jane and Christian Alexander knew how to keep everyone on the soles of their feet, but once Darude hit the stage, shit hit the fan. It was absolute pandemonium, chaos even.
The bass bounced through the century-old building, threatening to unhinge the foundation at the very seams. The night felt like a festival boiled down into four hours and 45-minutes. Confetti fell from the ceiling, balloons were given to all the girls and boys and of course all of the lights. Who doesn’t love the lights?
Aesthetics aside, Darude brought back what is so great about dance music and that’s the nonstop beat to keep the people moving. He, of course, played "Sandstorm," but also unveiled a new song entitled “Kaleidoscope,” which is set to be released in a couple of weeks. To quote the man himself, “I’m still here mother fuckers.” And thank goodness he is because the new track was something fresh and original, while the beat of the final song pulsed through me, I couldn’t help but to think I was hovering atop lush green forests into sprawling hills. Call me crazy, but listen to the 15-second teaser and you’ll see what I mean.
Once the night ended, Darude came down and thanked fans for showing up, expressing a desire to return to The Ritz, but until then, the legendary DJ will be finishing out the rest of his Surrender tour, making some wild zig-zag travel patterns, hitting his homeland Finland, the state of Texas, and then down under to Australia with no other scheduled stops in Florida. So if you caught Darude at The Ritz on Saturday night, consider yourself lucky, because you witnessed a legend.
Oh, and one last thing. #WeAreTampa
