Turning back the clock: Kaskade brings Redux back to Seattle (DMNW Review)

Kaskade’s Redux set this last weekend in Seattle had all the vibes of an intimate performance, which follows the trend of his previous Redux tours, but is a departure from what is normally expected for this show-stopping Grammy nominated EDM producer.

Ask any DJ and producer who was part of the scene in any capacity in the 1990s, or even into the early 2000s, and the general consensus would be that it’s a great lifestyle, but no one believed it would ever lead to headlining massive festivals or solo arena tours.

The past decade has seen multitudes of solo artists backed by elaborate visual spectacles selling out venues around the world. For some artists, the first EDM show they attended happened to be one they were headlining (a perfect example being found in Porter Robinson.)

Kaskade has previously offered an explanation of his departure from this typical style of show through his social media outlets.

“My intention: to play smaller clubs, and for all who participated to be taken back a decade, when it was all about the music,” he wrote.

Stripping down the larger than life production of a major tour and playing a more stripped down type of set is becoming something of a trend in the festival world that continues to gain traction.

Glimpses of this began in 2014 when Skrillex embarked on his warehouse takeover, and where capacities of these venues exceeded 3,000 at times, the idea to remove the visual distraction from the audio seemed to be something new for the man arguably responsible for ushering in an entire generation of dance music fans.

For Kaskade, these shows are really about the feeling of the venue. It’s about the seemingly lost sense of community that once flourished in the house, techno, deep, jungle, and drum and bass scenes.

Kaskade’s Redux is really in essence, taking a trip back his own roots. He takes it back to the clubs that once valued a connection with the DJ — the person who sets the mood and takes you on a journey.

Now, granted, Showbox SoDo honestly turned the fog machines up to an unhealthy level and made it difficult to even see Kaskade while being literally in the center of the pit, but regardless, his set delivered the intended vibes, and he played for almost 4 hours, providing a rare treat for his dedicated fan base. We have to say that as far as the production aspect of this show, it was difficult to get behind the almost staggering smog, and that the venue was overall lacking, but the music was undeniably on point.

Check out Kaskade’s Redux 003 Album, which was obviously the central focus of the show below and vibe out to his housey tunes:

Inevitably, the question remains, whether or not this intimate trend will continue to grow with other underground-turned-mainstream artists, which would be exploratory and challenge the entire EDM genre to continue to increase it’s creativity as a whole. Overall, Kaskade’s Redux tour is truly something different to experience without a doubt, and worth being a part of at least once. Kaskade will be back returning back to the NW on November 14 for another show in Portland if you want to experience him again in the near future.

What do you think about Kaskade’s set and the venue experience itself? Do you have a different opinion? Please share your thoughts with us on Facebook or Twitter!