The Basement, Canberra
Sunday October 28, 2018 :
L D R U hit the Australian music scene in 2013 with his breakthrough single ‘The Tropics’. Since then he has been an iconic producer in the dance music scene with countless collaborations of some of the genre’s less recognised talents. With the support of one of Canberra’s most popular breweries, L D R U played a one-off gig at a small local venue. Even with a décor that screamed a tradition rooted in classic rock, the bar housed the crowd of die-hard dance fans with ease. The gig warmed up with a spread of four DJs which kept the casual pool-playing vibes of the pre-prescribed “Sunday sesh” in perfect balance. It was a great opportunity to enjoy well remixed favourites spouting through the speakers whilst catching up with friends in the better lit corners of the bar.
When the ever casual L D R U hit the decks towards the end of the night , the pool tables were abandoned and the dancefloor was flooded. A relatively small but evidently devoted crowd was reanimated at the start of the working week by the heavy baselines and infectious beats that were being thrown out during the set. Along with the crowd pleasing renditions of his own work, L D R U brought along effortless remixes of electronic icons such as Flume and classics including The Jackson 5’s ‘ABC’.
Any threat of a mid-set slump was eradicated by L D R U’s chart topping release ‘Keeping Score’ which was accompanied by a crowd of fans singing along to the powerful chorus originally provided by Paige IV. The fast pace and massive drops of the single infected the crowd, rendering any thoughts of abandoning the set early on Monday morning far from the mind.
The success of Drew Carmody as his solo project L D R U is accompanied by his collaboration with Yatzel, better known together as Carmada. Despite the recent announcement of his departure from the explosive duo, L D R U included some of their better known hits within his solo set, additions which slotted in seamlessly with the heavy hitting beats that prevailed throughout his set.
After a tiring weekend I rocked up to what I thought was going to be a long five hours of electronic music on a late Sunday night. However, the hours leading up to the main set flew as I caught up with an old friend over perfectly curated background music and by the end of it I was on the front fence screaming for more as L D R U sauntered off the stage. No matter the mood of anyone at the gig when they walked into the room, they were all stoked to chart the progress of the blossoming solo career of the talented young producer that L D R U has proven himself to be.
Reviewer :Vivienne Wells
Photographer : Sean O’Reilly
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