Mix of the Week 25/2: Duke Dumont @ Exchange - Los Angeles
At the beginning of February, Duke Dumont returned to Los Angeles and played an unforgettable set at the world renowned Exchange nightclub. Finally, the set is available for download via Soundcloud, giving listeners a small glimpse into one of the most rounded and consistent electronic artists of this generation. This set is of the highest quality, showcasing the standard bearer of house music that is Duke Dumont.
Opening with the just released ‘Red Light’, Duke Dumont quickly establishes his control over the listener. ‘Red Light’ itself is a perfect musical analogy for the rest of the set. Through the thumping bass, catchy vocal hooks and masterful pacing of various tempos, Duke Dumont is able to draw the listener in, synchronise their heartbeat to the beat and have them on impulsive instinct, like a red or green traffic light. This is achieved through a diverse selection of house tracks, which Duke Dumont mixes and transitions between with ease. They are all equally fast paced, energetic and dance ready, but not too heavy, making the set highly accessible. While his mixing creates consistency, the wide array of tracks, with some louder in the bass, some less noisy, some relaxed and some bright in the high end, there is variety. The range of artists include Waze & Odyssey, Green Velvet and Dom Dolla, as well as many of his own tracks. Clocking it at one hour and forty-four minutes, the set is entertaining from start to finish. Ending on his finest work, ‘Ocean Drive’, Duke Dumont leaves the audience equal parts exhilarated and exhausted.
