80 tickets were pre-sold for the Wednesday night Boys Noize show, which means that at least 80 people were planning on failing their Thursday morning midterms. Personally, I counted the hours of shakin’ it to vigorous electronica as a prime studying opportunity for my German exam the next morning. I mean, that’s what they DO in Germany, right? Ja. That, and buy ridiculously hip, multicolored neon hats like the one Boys Noize DJ Alex Ridha was wearing all evening. Anyway, it looks like at least 80 of you have your priorities straight.DJ Trees (AKA Oberlin senior Ted Rees) started off the show with increasingly energetic, intelligent techno beats. Trees took 2k8’s electronic sensibilities and added some 90s flare, smoothly mixing beats and melodic content to match the mood in the room. About 45 minutes before Boys Noize took the stage, people started to take notice of the high-octane dance music and began to flood the floor. Despite the punchy thuds of the bass and the growing audience of techno-appreciators, impatience for Boys Noize to take the stage was running rampant. I heard drunken screams of “Boys Noize!!!” floating through the ‘Sco and soon enough, Ridha arrived on stage.
Rotating sparkling silver skulls like the ones seen in sticker format all around campus for weeks before the show enshrouded Ridha with light as disembodied robot voices were manipulated by the turning of knobs, the pressing of buttons, and the changing of levels. Simultaneously, everyone in the now-crowded ‘Sco forgot that they had any midterms at all as Ridha pumped out jams from his new full-length album, “Oi Oi Oi,” as well as a couple of his ever-popular remixes. Some of the album tracks used at this show were made better, extended, and improvised upon. An example that sticks out to me as being particularly awesome was the live version of “The Battery,” in which a middle section was added with a thudding bass line that made many students around me sound as though they were either having an orgasm or had just realized the meaning of life.
The pulsating, feel-it-in-your-chest-cavity bass was a theme throughout the show. On songs like “Vergiftet” and “Lava Lava,” this was balanced out with screeching high points and siren-like pulses and echoes, driving people to pump their fists in the air and generally just throw themselves all over the place. These two songs were both extended mixes of recognizable grooves from the album. They were separated by a message machine recording we might all recognize from our own lives, in which a mother desperately inquires as to where you are and what you’re doing. It was comically distorted and robotified as only Boys Noize can do it, and prepared the audience for a second wave of sweaty dancing.
In practically every Boys Noize song, there is a “holy fuck” moment in which the beat drops, the bass comes in, or something unexpected and profoundly badass happens. I considered “& Down” to be the highlight of the show, as it is made up of a couple “holy fuck” moments on the record, but is continuously this way live. When Boys Noize tells you to “dance dance dance now” or “get down,” you do it. The track was masterfully mixed and improvised upon without interrupting the dense, grinding pulse.
If you came to the show only knowing one Boys Noize song, it was most likely the remix of Feist’s “My Moon My Man,” which has been played at practically every (decent) house party I have ever been to at Oberlin. Ridha teased the audience with snippets of this remix throughout his set, but when the actual remix was played all the way through, it was a little bit of a letdown in contrast to the other songs. Simply because of the nature of the remix, there are extended sections in which Feist croons, “Take it slow, take it easy on me…” which is exactly what Ridha did. It is testament to the rest of the Boys Noize library that the original mixes would be the best live, and that one of his most popular and energetic remixes would be comparatively sub-par.
During the whole set, Ridha maintained an understated bob-of-the-head, tap-of-the-toes, plus occasional grin at the audience contentment. This being said, Ridha looked just as upset as the rest of us when he realized it was almost 1:45 AM and it was time to get going. Although I was, as most of the other students, totally unpresentable and danced-out, I managed to talk to the charming German DJ (with the equally charming unibrow) after the show to discuss the set, his favorite projects, and his own record label.The Oberlin Tritone: Hey! Great show; I wasn’t ready for it to be over yet!
AR: Thanks, yes. Me neither. There was so much I wanted to play but I ran out of time. It was a lot of fun though.
OT: What do you think of Oberlin? Do you like it here?
AR: Well, I really didn’t know what to except. It is a curious place. Even the name didn’t say anything to me, but then I found out that the city is into a lot of music and that the school is very famous. I thought, “Oh that’s great! The kids are into music!” So then I thought more something about the school, and I like it. I think it is good that so many people play music well, and then they are more likely to be into listening to good music.
OT: That’s definitely true. Speaking of that connection between listening and performance, how did you get into electronic music?
AR: I don’t remember any specific bands or DJs, but my brother was the one who got me into electronic music. He is ten years older than me. He listened to a lot of house music around 1986, and I got in touch with electronic music without even knowing that that was necessarily what it was.
OT: Do you want to talk a little about your record label?
AR: Oh, yes sure. I started the label in 2005 and since then, there have been 20 releases; 12 on vinyl only, but they are all digitalized by now as well. The plan was to only release my own music, but I liked the idea of using the label as a platform for fresh stuff that I like. I have been producing for ten years now, so it was the next step. I then released my own full-length album with my own label.
OT: That full length includes one of the most recognizable remixes of this year: your remix of Feist’s “My Moon My Man,” which is just one of many remixes you have done. Do you have a personal favorite?
AR: Yes, I really love the Kaiser Chiefs remix I did. It was released in June 2005, and then on CD in September 2005. Originally, the song was totally different. It was super fast. So I made it into new music. I also really have a passion for Depeche Mode, so I like that remix I did. With the Cut Copy remix, I didn’t like the original, and I don’t remix songs that I don’t like. But the verses were great, even though the chorus was horrible. So I made a complete new music, and I finished it in two days.
OT: Wow. Are you working on any collaborations right now?
AR: Yes. I have already done one remix of Gonzales, but now I am doing another one. I also just saw The Faint yesterday, and we are collaborating on a track called “Wet Floor,” which you can expect to be out in maybe September.
OT: That’s so exciting! Well, thank you so much for coming here and for the awesome show.
AR: Yes! Nice to be here!
Alex Ridha then departed in his swanky limo, leaving us electroheads and midterm slackers with a successful night. As Xavier of Justice puts it, “Boys Noize makes the words 'German,' 'techno,' and 'DJ' sound cool again.”
For those of you who didn't attend the show, this is why you should have:
Feist - "My Moon My Man (Boys Noize Remix)" mp3
Boys Noize - "& Down" mp3
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