Kaskade – It’s You, It’s Me Redux Tour

Posted by mimada on May 22, 2013

I’ve finally washed ashore from the sensational tidal wave that was Kaskade’s It’s You, It’s Me Redux Tour. Everything you heard about drowning in sweat, auditory immersion and house deeper than the Mariana Trench was no exaggeration in reference to what I experienced that Tuesday night at his kick off show in Dallas. I’ll do my best to recreate the atmosphere (hehe) from that show but when it comes down to it, you just have to close your eyes in dive into the music yourself. Conveniently, I’ve provided the San Diego set in it’s entirety for your listening pleasure so all you need to do is press play and come with me on my journey to the most intimate underground electronic show you’ve only seen in your wildest dreams.

Kaskade caught the attention of his fans down in Texas one morning via Twitter by addressing the people of Dallas directly and retweeting pictures from their favorite shows. He kept us at the edge of our seats, biting our nails for hours until he finally dropped the bomb, tweeting the link to purchase tickets for his first Redux show to be located at It’ll Do, a warehouse disco club in East Dallas. As you can imagine, those 200 tickets were gone in a single breath, and to my surprise, one of my best friends purchased just enough for a group of us to go. I was in such a state of shock and excitement that the only thing I could do was curl up in a ball on my bed and indulge in his vintage albums, Love Mysterious and It’s You, It’s Me (naturally). I was preparing myself for something that I could have never been prepared enough for.

The night came and went faster than a breaking wave, and I wish more than anything I could go back in time and relive it. Sprinting out of the cab, flashing my ID at the door and rushing to the DJ booth, I had the butterflies like it was my first show ever. The club had a long, rectangular layout; the walls were lined with elevated, cushioned tables and sound reverberated from every last corner, even the furthest back nook by the bar from where you could barely even make out the stage in the dark. There was a lone disco ball hanging from the ceiling, and apart from the reflection it cast across the club, the only other light source was grid light up dance floor straight out of Studio 54.

At about 11pm, Kaskade entered the DJ booth – right on schedule. There were no crazy theatrics, no lights, no added entertainment, just Kaskade and us. And by us, I mean the average, modern day yuppies, 60-year olds in cashmere sweaters (see: 3:01), raver dolls, and die-hard Kaskade fans who were having just as much fun as the newly introduced ones. “The audience was as cohesive as it was diverse. That’s rare.” Anyone and everyone in the world could have been in that audience, it was that varied. And yet, there was only a mere 200 of us, barely filling up half of the club at best. It felt so empty but that made it perfect. It was like Kaskade was throwing some casual get together and we were all his closest friends who invited along for the ride – which maybe is what was it was anyways, but you get the idea.

Now, for the music. Kaskade debuted with “It’s You, It’s Me,” melting every single heart in the audience. His hour and a half long set was a flawless compilation of classics like “Steppin’ Out” and “Step One Two,” his newer tracks like “Waste Love” and “Llove (ICE Remix)” (couldn’t get enough of this one), and a few surprises like Justin Timberlake’s “Like I Love You” and of course, the already-iconic “Get Lucky.” Intermittent between the songs were deep house beats that turned your mind absolutely inside out, elevated by his lyrical tracks, creating a cascading, pulsating wave of tempos and sounds. At first, I tried squeezing to the front but when I realized Kaskade was crafting an auditory, not visual experience for us, I returned back to the light-up dancefloor where I encountered a dance circle with fans cheering on one another. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the abyss, where I drowned in the darkness and music, in bass so deep that no recording device could possibly capture the intensity. In a moment that I came back to the surface for a breath of fresh air, I turned around to find a young gentleman proposing to his girlfriend right in the middle of the dancefloor! Unreal. (She said yes, see below) Kaskade’s music brought about a positive energy that circulated throughout the club that night, uplifting and unifying us all. And it all came to a close as we sang along to the final song, my favorite, “4 AM.” As Kaskade exited the stage and disappeared, I can confidently tell you I have never longed for encore as much as then. Alas, drenched and speechless, we cleared out of the club and listening to Kaskade has never been the same since.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how an artist goes about deciding on a venue or specializing a set within a given city. At the peak of my curiosity, Kaskade announced his Redux tour, a tour that retained purpose behind each city, venue, and fan base. As I reviewed photos and setlists from the other 6 cities, it became clear that each show was unique and tailored to the history of the setting and the tastes of the audience. This made me feel even closer to Kaskade and his music, knowing that night was a once in a lifetime experience and I was lucky enough not only to spend it with him, but with people who were as much (if not more!) passionate than myself. I’m lucky to be part of his memory looking back on how “Dallas baptiz[ed] this tour with their Texas brand of amazing.”

“There’s a famous Bob Marley quote that says, “Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.” I am so grateful to be surrounded by an audience that feels the rain. Ten years later, this music inspires a fan to fly from Sydney, Australia to San Diego, California then back home again just for a few hours to dance. Ten years later it connects people who want to assist each other in getting to a show. Ten years later, this music still exists and rings true that it’s you, then it’s me in love.”

If you missed the Redux tour, have no fear. Kaskade will be headlining at EDC Chicago next weekend and in addition, is putting on a showcase called “Summer Lovin'” all summer long at the Marquee in Las Vegas. The trailer is a must-see. Until the next show, folks.