Article by Christian Pandtle

Before I get started writing about the show, a brief aside: I fucking love Amtrac. Seriously guys. Guys seriously, this dude has been my favorite artist for over 3 years now, ever since I discovered his Feel Good EP on soundcloud. I’ve listened to all of his mixes dozens of times, my music playing devices is ALWAYS stocked with his discog, hell I’ve even bought his merch! I’m constantly shoving his music into the ears of anyone who will listen while simultaneously extolling the virtues of his Super Music Group label, as anyone who has spent significant time around me can attest to. I’m saying this not to show how cool I am for knowing him before you, but rather to give a fair warning that this will be, by far, the most biased post I’ll ever write.

His ability to create lush sounds blended with forward thinking melodies, dance ready beats, and vocal sampling par excellence has always struck me as the perfect retort to the unimaginative garbage that pollutes the ears and minds of most dance music fans. His tunes have run the full spectrum of electronic music, ranging from vaguely dubstep remixes of Alex Metric (end of the world), to hard hitting house (the scheme EP), from remixing Barry Manilow (everything’s gonna be alright) and Depeche Mode (should be higher) to making straight up disco (make me hot). Not only is Amtrac talented, he’s also prolific, having released a slew of high profile remixes (Saturn, birds of paradise, money, Need you 100%, Zhu’s Faded) and EPs (Fear, Undefeated/Primal), singles (rewind, where you go, Don’t know, walkin) an album length mixtape (hey there kiddo), and even a full length album (on which he performed all of the vocals). This is to say nothing of his mixing abilities (super music group 1, beach house mix, day of the dead), which have earned him spots at UMF Miami, EDC, Moonrise Festival, and the privilege of playing in some of the best clubs in the U.S. The guys first planned set at U Hall was cancelled because he had to go on tour with Kaskade for god’s sake! Kaskade! Nation wide  tour! For a soundcloud hero, that’s amazing. Although I always knew he was talented, I truly never expected him to blow up to this extent. Regardless, I’m happy for the guy, he’s a truly an example of what can happen nowadays when you combine talent and determination. I’m really just glad that the decentralization of the music industry has allowed small-time artists such as Amtrac find their niche and expand into the greater music world. Ok, now that we’re through with that, onto the show.

Now the show’s headliner was ostensive Treasure Fingers, but judging from the buzz and composition of the crowd early, everyone who knew what was what was there to see Amtrac. The night opened up with a well-done set by Blisspop Crew member, and rising DC star, Caleb L’Etoile. Playing a nice mix of the sort of upbeat, bright tracks that the Blisspop Crew is known for, Caleb warmed up the crowd before Amtrac took to the stage at midnight. Continuing where Caleb left off, Amtrac open his set with a few warm, chord focused tracks that subtly demanded the attention of the crowd, getting everyone back slowly back into the rhythm. While his set began subdued, it only accelerating, quickly launching into driving basslines and plucked chords that kept advancing from plateau to plateau. His experience opening up night was fully on display, as the crowd simultaneously grew in size and in energy, softly grooving and swaying. Luckily, there was plenty of space on the floor for everyone to do as they please, resulting in a relaxed and upbeat vibe free of stress and foot stomping, a welcome relieve from some recent U Hall shows where there was been barely space to breathe, much less dance. Amtrac made the most of his receptive crowd, mixing an eclectic mix of tunes which provide a consistent, though advancing vibe. He wasn’t afraid to show face and play his own original tracks, a real highlight was about midway through the night when he played his original Those Days, a rollicking tune with expertly used Barry White samples and the sort of distorted, bouncy bassline which is now dominating the house scene. Another treat was hearing Metro off of his hitherto mentioned Hey There Kiddo mixtape, a disco influenced tune with original vocals that slowly progresses to a rollicking finish. These are two of my favorite songs which I had never expected to hear on my favorite sound system, so this was a big moment for me that culminated in much head-bobbing and foot-shuffling. By this point the crowd had been worked up in a full scale fervor, loving the synthesized sounds of disco and deep house that Amtrac had been bumping for an hour; many people were taking advantage of U Hall’s intimate space to snag high-fives and fist bumps from the man behind the decks. I even had the pleasure of running into a fellow Amtrac fan, Willis, who I had met at the Union BBQ. Eventually, Amtrac wound his set down with a few deeper tunes that got everyone primed for Treasure Fingers.

Seeing so many people digging and grooving to the sounds of an artist who was toiling in virtual obscurity this time two years ago was a real vindication of the present dance music scene. Although there has been a lot of legitimate critique recently of the state of dance music, directed specifically towards main stage festival sorts of sound, the fact that a someone such as Amtrac has been able to come up in the game utilizing talent and word of mouth is indicative of the fact that we are in a transitional period of the music industry. Everyday fans such as you or me are now able to wield more influence than ever over who is successful and who is not, merely by attending shows, buying music, and spreading the good word. The decentralization of the music industry has brought with it extensive space for the artists you love to grow and mature. That being said, they can’t do so without our support, so get out there and go see some shows!