Subtronics @ MGM Music Hall 3/20

Photography by Cooper Formica

Review by Cooper Formica

This past weekend, the new-dubstep artist, Subtronics, returned to Boston for a unique pair of performances at the MGM Music Hall on March 20 and 21.

Subtronics is an artist who isn’t found in Boston much. Looking at shows frequenting the venues of Lansdowne Street, or other parts of the city, many would be hard-pressed to find any sort of electronic music, especially new-dubstep. New-dubstep is the most recent evolution of the drop and bass-heavy techno sub-genre, dubstep. Unlike the traditional, or “2014 dubstep,” which rarely sampled words or used traditional synths, new-dubstep mixes the traditional bass-heavy aspects of dubstep with rap or techno music. 

At times, New England’s music scene can be like the Puritans who settled it: devoutly pale and a bit gloomy. It is clear to see why artists like Hozier and Noah Kahan consistently headline sold-out shows at Fenway Park, while house and techno artists do not. Yet amid this seemingly lackluster dubstep scene, Subtronics was able to sell out the two shows this past weekend.

As lines of flamboyantly dressed ravers and dubstep fans gathered outside MGM, it was clear that Subtronics was different from the usual artists of Lansdowne Street. Walking shoulder to shoulder into the sold-out concert hall as the opening act, Ahee, mixed trance and dubstep from the decks of an illuminated stage, it began to feel as though a long-awaited dubstep circus had come to Boston.

 There seemed to be a “come-one, come-all” mentality as everyone from families, frat brothers, and ridiculously well-dressed foreigners mixed in the sold-out crowd. As lasers flashed, the opening artists, Dennett and Blossom, mixed dubstep, techno, and rap; each song became a different spectacle.

When Subtronics took the stage, it felt as though a bomb had exploded as the excited crowd broke into complete chaos. The energy only built as lights, lasers, and fire flashed over the crowd, which accompanied Subtronics as he dropped the bass of his set’s first song, “Fuck Up,” from his new album, “Fibonacci.”

After a bold opening, the crowd’s energy grew as Subtronics continued to mix classics from Chief Keef, Lil Baby, and Faithless with his own dubstep bass sounds and instrumentals.

During the set, the crowd was able to time its mosh pits with Subtronics’ blaring instrumentals and occasionally off-color vocals. The kind of organized chaos that can only be found in the crowd at a dubstep concert. When the bass drops to Subtronics’ song, “One of Those Mornings,” the crowd chanted back the vocals, “that just blew my dick clean off.”

As the first night concluded, it felt as though there was a true community amongst the crowd. Especially as Subtronics thanked his fans for their loyalty— many of whom bought tickets for both nights— and asked them “be nice to one another,” before playing “Fuck Up” one last time to close the show.