Jane Remover @ The Sinclair 5/2

Photography by Brianna Benitez

Review by Jaya Kohol

The Sinclair was packed in with bodies, the backs of hands adorned with big black sharpie X’s, baggy pants and piercings galore. I wasn’t sure what to expect from producer and songwriter Jane Remover on her very first headline tour, but I anticipated a performance full of energy nonetheless. I stood by the right side of the stage with a drink while I anxiously waited for the openers to finish and for Jane to take the stage.

Born in Newark, New Jersey, the 21 year old producer began her music career under the pseudonym Dltzk, releasing digicore and hyperpop tracks on the online music platform Soundcloud where she quickly gained an online cult following. She found initial success with tracks such as “52 Blue Mondays” and “it’s a vicious cycle” both which highlighted her unique production style. Under a different pseudonym, Leroy, Jane would also go on to pioneer a genre of entirely her own making, called Dariacore, a result of the release of her album “Dariacore” in 2021. This niche microcosm of production style which made frequent use of internet culture, rap, and pop music sampling, grew steadily into a community who revered Jane as an extremely talented producer and a true trailblazer in the EDM and hyperpop scene. Under Dltzk, Jane released her first debut album “Frailty” in 2021, a career defining album. 

In 2022, Jane announced she would be retiring the name Dltzk, and would be changing her name to Jane Remover. It was also at this time that the songwriter came out publicly as a transgender woman. As fans embraced Jane’s new identity, her popularity in online circles such as Twitter grew steadily. In 2023 Jane released her second studio album, “Census Designated” , a noisy and experimental shoegaze album which delighted fans. Jane returned to her EDM and electronic production roots with the release of her most recent album “Revengeseekerz.” Jane has embarked on her first headline tour across the country to debut the dance-driven tracks from the new album.

At 9:30pm exactly, Jane emerged on stage. With nothing but a DJ mixing board table behind her and a handful of neon stage lights, she immediately captivated the crowd with her energy. Without hesitation, she screamed “Turn up!” into the microphone, energizing and exciting the audience instantly. She began the set with “TWICE REMOVED” the opening track from the album “Revengeseekerz.” I was amazed at how quickly the crowd surged towards the stage and began to move as a united mass of people. What was even more surprising was how loudly the crowd sang the lyrics of the song back to Jane. The album has only been out for about a month, and yet the crowd knew every single word. 

Jane played track after track with the same stupefying passion. Fans near the front of the stage held up drawings and handmade gifts in the hopes that Jane would take them. Each time a new song began, the crowd became reinvigorated and danced endlessly under the glow of the overhead neon strobe lights. Fans cheered with a fervor as songs such as “Experimental Skin” and “Dreamflasher” played and Jane screamed into the autotuned microphone, sending shockwaves out into the crowd. Although most of the setlist consisted of songs from the new album, Jane didn’t neglect her most popular song off of “Frailty” titled “Movies for Guys.” The crowd rejoiced upon hearing the opening electronic melody, Jane asking fans if they knew the words to the older song. 

Dancing continued for an hour straight, Jane keeping the pace on stage, her hair drenched with sweat. As the final song “Homeswitcher” began to play, the room buzzed with excitement. From wall to wall, the entire crowd was singing along and dancing. Fans at the front of the room screamed Jane’s name over and over again in a desperate attempt to hold her hand or to sing into the microphone. It wasn’t until the end of the set that I was struck by Jane’s black and white skeleton gloves, which have become an iconic part of her new look in the promotion of the new album. Her tank-top and baggy jeans seemed a reminder that she is just like her fans, young and forging a path of her own. As the show came to a close, fans demanded an encore, but Jane simply thanked the audience for their time and quickly left the stage. I left feeling ecstatic and thoroughly impressed by Jane’s dominating performance.