TuneLab
DMX Krew
Boiler Room x Present Perfect Festival
DMX Krew’s live set for Present Perfect Festival is a welcome dose of synth-smeared nostalgia, proving that the best electro often sounds like it’s beaming in from a forgotten 80s sci-fi VHS. The vibe is geek-chic euphoria, a room full of people who remember when 'IDM' wasn’t a dirty word. Technically, it’s a wonderfully idiosyncratic ride, averaging 130 BPM but willing to sprint to 150, all glued together by the lush, familiar tonality of 12A. The energy is overwhelmingly in the low-end (0.77 avg), those squelching 808 basslines and warm pads leaving plenty of space for melodic whimsy in the mids.
It’s a live performance, so the mixing is about vibe and sequence over seamless blends. The tracklist is a treasure trove. 'Barden - FIND ME IN AFTERLIFE, SEE YOU WHEN YOU’RE DEAD' is a gloriously dramatic opener with vocoder theatrics. Dropping the synthapella of 'Stephan Bodzin & Marc Romboy - Kerberos' is a genius move, letting that iconic arp breathe.
'VMPXbard - Slaying Dragons' is a nearly 20-minute epic journey in itself, and 'Amadin - You Make Me Feel Alright' is the perfect, heartfelt closer. The journey starts in the cinematic afterlife, weaves through cosmic arpeggios and driving electro, and finally lands in a place of pure, melodic contentment.