Photo by DYLAN LONG
Last night, Henry Steinway, AKA RL Grime, dropped in at the Electric Factory to spin a set of dark, high-energy bangers, dreamy interludes and catchy sing-a-longs galore. Joining him were Blood Company’s Graves and Fool’s Gold label mate Kittens, the former who is known across the EDM spectrum for his groundbreaking Diplo & Friends mix from earlier this year. The Nova Tour comes as RL is fresh off of his sixth annual Halloween Mixtape, an annual mix produced by RL consisting of the most sinister and spooky tracks that the community has offered up that year. The hype around the recently dropped mixtape undoubtedly contributed to the healthy crowd size for the Thursday night show, and it was abundantly clear that these kid were here to party.
RL pulled out all the stops with his track selection and had the place shaking. Mosh pits, water flying in every which way, and a slew of “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” once he kicked his production into full gear. Halfway into his set, his DJ booth, armed with lights underneath and on either side, rose high into the sky, allowing Steinway’s head to nearly graze the ceiling of the Electric Factory. He continued his set from on high, dropping track after track down onto the crowd like Zeus throwing lighting bolts, including his smash single “Stay For It” with Miguel, and his ground-shaking classic “Core.” By the end of the night, fans were covered in sweat, struggling to catch their breath, and left anxiously waiting for RL Grime’s next return. — DYLAN LONG