REVIEW: What So Not, Michael Christmas, James Earl @ Paradise Rock Club 05/03

The Australian electronic music project What So Not took the Paradise Rock Club stage on Thursday, May 3. An event tailored for EDM fans, What So Not’s performance was flashy and explosive, filled with talented rap appearances and a blaring electric guitar. Though the genre of the night was uncertain, fans of all sorts could gather for a not-your-everyday DJ performance.  

Chris Emerson, better known by his stage name Emoh Instead, founded What So Not in 2011 with fellow electronic artist, Flume. With the latter musician leaving the project in 2015, What So Not is now solely operated by Emerson, but the producer features a diverse array of artists into his music as well as his tour.

Opening acts James Earl and Michael Christmas definitely added character to the overall body of the show. The first, a Los Angeles DJ, loosened the crowd with perhaps the best list of throwback tracks in recent memory; he marvelously blended modern hits like Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow,” a crowd favorite, with classics such as 2Pac’s “California Love.” Christmas, a Boston native, followed Earl and brought a different vibe to the Paradise, yet just as positive. Christmas undeniably had the time of his life as soon as he stepped foot on stage and began rapping while bouncing around; the man’s feel-good lyrics and uplifting energy were easily conveyed to the audience.

By the time Christmas’s almost forty-minute set concluded, the audience was unsure what to expect. First a throwback mood, then rap, now EDM? It was a difficult energy to maneuver from one performance to the next, but that was the only flaw in the night; the performances were individually fantastic.

The headliner’s grand entrance: unusual but exhilarating. An unknown, long-haired man set foot on the Paradise stage shredding his electric guitar. It was a bizarre sight, taking many audience members by surprise, for the stranger clearly wasn’t What So Not. The man behind the guitar: Trevor Lukather, who is the son of Toto’s lead singer, Steve Lukather. After several minutes of that blaringly badass guitar solo, What So Not finally took the stage and opened by blasting high tech synths and heavy beats over Lukather’s guitar riffs.

What So Not included Lukather in the majority of his set, featuring drum and guitar battles–Emerson on electronic drums and Lukather on the latter. The highlight of the show was “Africa,” a tribute to the guitarist’s father’s legendary classic rock band and one of the most iconic songs of all time. What So Not carefully navigated this song, allowing Lukather to dominate the guitar riffs while also creating an electronic version that the audience had never heard before. It was a magical moment shared between the two musicians and the hundreds attending the event.

Following, What So Not pulled out crowd favorites including “Feel It,” “High You Are,” and “Gemini.” During these songs, the room became alive with voices chanting the lyrics and bodies moving in splendid synchrony. It was at this point when inflated pool toys were thrown into the audience, creating complete mayhem for the security guards but a rowdy, good time for concertgoers.

With his new album, Not All the Beautiful Things, being released just one month ago, What So Not had many new songs up his sleeve, most sounding similar to each other, but still all good tracks to bump to. Of these songs, highlights were “Beautiful” and “Goh;” the first featured a darkly beautiful underlying melody, and the latter was designated for pure crowd-jumping fun.  

Featuring both opening acts on tracks in his new album, Emerson took advantage of the two musicians by incorporating them into his set. First, Christmas rapped alongside What So Not during “Monsters,” which took a grim look into rap life and being self-aware about it. Following, Earl returned on stage for “Demons,” a sinister comment on relationships. Both are easily the darkest songs on the album, but this works in the record’s favor, balancing upbeat fun and ominous rap moods.

All genres of music were heard in the Paradise on Thursday, so much so that it became overwhelming and difficult to follow at times. Regardless, What So Not delivered more than enough pulse-pounding beats and surprise guests for the audience to be satisfied. Emerson will continue the Not All the Beautiful Things Tour until September 21; look for What So Not in cities near you.  

-Christian Jaeger