karenvDESMA9: Event 1: A Night at the Avalon

Last Friday, July 5th, I had the pleasure of attending an EDM show at the Avalon Hollywood nightclub in Los Angeles. For those of you who are unfamiliar with EDM, it stands for Electronic Dance Music, a music genre that has a diverse range of sub-genres, including house, drum and bass, and dubstep. Typically for EDM shows, there is a focus not only on the music, but also on visual art such as poster art, visualizers, and lighting effects.

The show's official poster

Even before I entered the venue that night, an official poster for the show was posted right next to the entrance for everyone to see. The macabre artwork on the poster acted as an artistic aid to establish the mood for the night, foreshadowing a dark theme for the music to come and the club's atmosphere.

I have attended the Avalon before, so I knew what to expect: there were dim to no lights in most areas, employees dressed in all black, and speakers systems that produced significant bass frequencies, all contributing to a fairly atramentous club vibe. Located towards the back of the Avalon was the main stage with a visualizer screen (which is colloquially just called "the visualizer") right behind it, a huge component of the artistic aspect of EDM shows.

DJ duo Gent & Jawns with some psychedelic video art on their visualizer

The visualizer acts as an optical complement to the aural experience provided by the disc jockeys (DJs) and the music they spin. For this show, there were many times when dark, contorted music was played, and equally distorted, kaleidoscopic images were projected to further enhance the music's effect for the audience. Most EDM shows nowadays utilize light-emitting diode (LED) screens to project visuals for the audience; however, depending on an artist's taste or budget, he or she may use a screen projector or even a custom-made visualizer structure to cast their visuals.

Drum and bass DJ Andy C performing with his own custom visualizer structure at the 2012 Beyond Wonderland music festival

The visualizer is manned by a team of video disc jockeys (VDJs), which can consist of as few as one individual or as many three VDJs, depending on the number of screens being utilized or the venue's or artist's budget. They use computers, visualizer programs, and musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) controllers (devices that send MIDI signals that act as cues for certain video elements on the visualizer) to control what shows up on the visualizer screen in tune with the music the DJ performs with.

Visualizers and lazers as lighting effects to complement the music being played

In addition to controlling the the visual cues for the visualizer, VDJs also control lighting and other miscellaneous effects at EDM shows. This includes cuing for strobe lights, lasers, spotlights, or even fog machines or CO2 cannons, which is also done by using the MIDI controller. The lighting effects provide an additional artistic touch the show as they can be displayed in a certain pattern or frequency that make it a work of art. Meanwhile, other effects such as fog machines, CO2 cannons (which are, in simple terms, fog machines that projectile fog into the audience using carbon dioxide), and pyrotechnics also provide a visual and even tactile experience for the crowd, which traditional visual artists utilize in their own art as well.

Dubstep artist Calvertron, performing with a plethora of lighting effects

Usually next to the VDJ(s) is the sound technician (sound tech for short), who controls the sound systems that relay the music that the DJ spins. The sound tech manages the sound board for the show, which commonly consists of computers, sound channels (volume controllers), and equalizers if it is a digital sound board (you will see that in modern EDM shows, digital equipment is much more prevalent than their older analog counterparts).

The VDJ (left) and sound tech (right) operating their respective equipment during the show

In general, a sound tech's main job is to equalize the music that is being mixed live by the DJ; this entails manipulating the equalizers to best fit the different types of music being played. For instance, if a DJ transitions from a song with high frequencies (lots of treble) to low frequencies (bass-heavy), the sound tech is responsible for modifying the new sound waves coming from the DJ's own set so that they can be better propagated through the venue's sound systems; otherwise, bass-heavy songs would not reach their optimal aural potential and would sound flat or not as loud.

To be connected to the DJ and his equipment, sound techs attach a voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) cable or an XLR cable to their sound board, which is directly connected to the DJ's mixing console (deck). Most prefer to use XLR cables over VCA cables since the latter is unbalanced, meaning it only has two conductors and can pick up on radio signals, which can interfere with the music being played. It is through this cable that the sound tech can modify the DJ's music, the most important aspect of the show itself.

Famous UK dubstep artist Trolley Snatcha, arguably the most anticipated act of the night

When the DJ mixes to execute the main part of the show, the music, he or she can use a variety of different equipment for their music sets, depending on their taste or budget. While almost all modern DJs use CDJs (a type of turntable that can plays CDs), some may also use laptops, audio MIDI controllers, vinyl discs, or a combination of the above. In my experience, most DJs use digital and electronic equipment, rather than outdated, analog ones such as vinyl discs, acting as yet another indication of the transition into a digitally-technological era we face today.

How a DJ performs at show can vary as well; some may come with a pre-recorded mix and just "hit play" when it's showtime, while others may mix their music "on the fly", picking and incorporating new tracks as the show goes on. Most people prefer to listen to music sets where the DJ mixes on the fly due to preferences for creativity and ingenuity, although some can still appreciate a pre-made set if they like the song selection. The three aforementioned factors - as well as the quality of song transitions, an adherence to a musical theme or genre, and the magnitude of the audience's response - are also a few major factors that EDM show-goers take into consideration when deeming a set as an enjoyable one.

Trolley Snatcha's dark dubstep set during the show; a perfect complement to the show's overall tenebrous theme in conjunction with the club's poster art and setting

In the end, all of these elements that make up an EDM show - from the poster art to the music itself, and the technological effects in between - help compose an experience unlike any other not only in the entertainment industry but also in the music realm in general. I would highly recommend everyone to attend at least one event, as EDM shows are indeed a modern technological spectacle as well as a work of art in themselves.