Atlantic City, built on lost money and rich New Yorkers with gambling addictions, is now an up and coming haven for house music. Bright billboards advertising for the likes of Tiesto, Ingrosso, and Alesso can be seen for miles as you approach the boisterous and gaudy Atlantic City skyline emerging near the Jersey shore. The only thoughts a sight like this really permits run along the lines of: “This is going to be a wild night.” And that it was. Before proceeding with the reviews of the actual show, let me make it quite clear that I never really had great expectations for David Guetta’s performance, perhaps because I bought into the “he’s way to poppy” sentiment that circulates within the EDM community. I say this despite the fact that I’d heard some of his live DJ sets, and I enjoyed them thoroughly. To me, Atlantic City represented that sense of “fakeness” that some people attribute to Guetta, so I was under the impression that his set would be dominated by his mainstream, pop-oriented tracks. Much to my enjoyment, my preconceived notions were thwarted instantly.

The Borgata is your typical casino; Nice, loud and welcoming… until you really look at the dismay and self-destruction written on the faces of those troubled patrons who haven’t left their seat at the slot machine for four hours. The concert venue, which was on a higher floor, was the polar opposite. Clean, breezy and carpeted, this was easily my favorite venue thus far. Voss water and $12 beers aside, the event center at the Borgata provided something that is overlooked at so many similar shows: Comfort. All night the crowd was blessed with a reasonable temperature and ample room to express themselves via inspired dance moves. Given the magnitude of the sets performed, such luxuries became necessities.

R3hab In The Mix

Anyone who follows R3hab on Twitter should be well-versed in the meaning behind a common hashtag of his: #ChainsawMadnessTour. For those who are confused as to what exactly this means, allow me to explain. R3hab’s musical style is characterized by massive, heavy, grinding bass lines that resemble loosely the sound of a chainsaw — though obviously a far more melodic version of. The talented dutchmen prepped the crowd with fifteen minutes of progressive  and melodic house before stealthily dropping a nefarious, grinding track he collaborated on with Afrojack, “Prutataaa”. The response of the crowd was incredible, and I have to say at this point that no DJ that I have seen conveyed as much energy through turntables as R3hab did that night.

R3hab Drops His Remix of Skylar Grey’s “Dance Without You”

As the EDM genre grows in popularity, so do these shows. The result is an increased emphasis on extra production, i.e. light shows or high definition screens and even robots with lasers (we’ll come to that later). While this is largely entertaining, it sometimes drowns out the music, rather than complimenting it. This is what I’d like to refer to as ‘sensory overload’. R3hab sought to alleviate this problem, accompanied by nothing but his turntables, some spot lights and an MC on stage. In other words, the focus was on nothing but the music, as well as R3hab’s supreme skills as a DJ. And make no mistake about it, R3hab is a bona fide DJ. He produces hear and there, but he specializes in the ability to make members of the audience lose their mind in the sets he spins. The best part? No one was as into it as he was. It’s a pleasure to watch a DJ who truly loves what he’s doing, which is why EHusky believes R3hab to be a must-see for any true EDM buff.

The Essentials from R3hab’s Set:

Dance Without You (R3hab Remix) – Skylar Grey - To this day, “Dance Without You” remains one of my favorite R3hab tracks. It has such a melodic build, but the steep drop hits like a ton of bricks.

Throw Your Hands Up (Danza Kuduro) (R3hab Dayglow Remix) – Qwote - Oi Oi Oi, OI OI OI

In My Mind (Axwell Edit) – Ivan Gough & Feenixpawl ft. Georgi Kay - Swedish House Mafia’s pick for the #1 song in dance music right now. Impossible not to go absolutely crazy when you hear this live…

David Guetta In The Mix

Without even so much as a five minute break from the chaos that was R3hab’s set, David Guetta took the stage, now clad with a massive array of LED lighting and 3-D on-screen imagery. Unlike R3hab’s set, the world’s “#1 DJ” came prepared with a mind-blowing and multi-faceted production that supplied all of the sensory desires shared by members of the audience. He took off in full force, supplying endless energy to stunned electro-lites like myself for more than 2 hours. His set, while still affording some time for his pop-star alter ego, featured tracks from the likes of Hardwell, Nicky Romero, and Swedish House Mafia, among many others. Further, he played some of his club jams, like “The Alphabeat” and “Lunar”, a collaboration with Afrojack. Let’s focus on Nicky Romero, though.

At some point during the show, I remember tweeting about the overwhelming, yet wonderful presence of Nicky Romero’s material within the track list. Well, as it turns out, the two of them have been working feverishly on new music, spawning the collaborative duo that will now be known as “Jack Back”. Their most notable production as of now is “Wild One Two” which is incredibly popular, and currently holds the #2 spot on Beatport. When I attended this show, the track was unreleased, and had only been previewed. Needless to say, hearing the track in its entirety for the first time live was a memorable experience, and somehow most people knew the words, re-affirming my belief that EDM fans are now generally more educated in the happenings of the genre. This greatly enhances the atmosphere at any given show, and will ultimately help foster further growth of dance music in the United States.

David Guetta Drops Titanium (Alesso Remix)

Another Nicky Romero song that was superb on the mega-speakers was “Generation 303″, and I must confess I don’t think I have listened to a single track more since then. Now, let me point your attention to a song many profess to be played out: Avicii’s “Levels”. I have heard Levels at just about every show I’ve been to in the past 6 months, but it still has yet to get old. And when David Guetta dropped it at the Borgata, I witnessed the single greatest response I’d ever seen from a crowd. Even the few 50 year old couples were getting down and dirty. Levels strikes again with unbelievable prowess. It’s culmination led to intense chanting, breathing new life into the next track: Avicii & Nicky Romero’s “Nicktim”. When I think about that 10 minutes of my life, it sends shivers down my spine. And that is what it’s all about. Great music, great atmosphere, irreplaceable memories that will never leave you. EHusky bows at the talents conveyed by Both R3hab & David Guetta that night, and recommends that you do everything in your power to see both of them.

David Guetta’s Encore: New Track by the “Jack Back” duo (Guetta & Romero) 

The Essentials From David Guetta’s Set:

The Alphabeat (Original Mix) – David Guetta - One of my all-time favorite tracks by Guetta, this jam features enormous electronic synths that fill you up with an “I just wanna dance” feeling.

Nicktim (Original Mix) – Avicii & Nicky Romero - A highly anticipated release, this tune pleases the crowd every single time it’s played… hands down.

Wild One Two (Original Mix) – David Guetta & Nicky Romero ft. Sia - Hey I heard you were a wild one… ‘Nuff said.

- SZ (@TheElectroHusky)