Live Review: What So Not, A-Trak

Looking back even just ten years ago to compare triple j's Hottest 100s of 2005 and 2015, the amount of electronic and dance-centric tracks in alternative music has no less than doubled. We still hear little snippets of stigma around DJs and their associated value, where some question why people would spend their wage on "some guy pressing play and going their hardest". DJing might seem to be an easy gig, but the near sold out crowd of the night's What So Not/A-Trak co-headline show didn't come out to watch some of the best local and international talent touch buttons and faders. They came to dance along with some like-minded lovers of music to a well curated mix of some high quality tunes produced by those working the decks.

Thebarton Theatre was bursting at the seams with local triple j music lovers, dance fanatics, and a bunch of locals from the Adelaide Trap Rats scene all looking to get their fix of hard-hitting beats and trap music. With a little help from A-Trak and openers bringing good-time, house-heavy vibes during their sets, What So Not absolutely killed it in his hour-and-a-bit long performance.

Following on from What So Not's seamless set, the two co-headliners threw together a much looser, but just as enjoyable back-to-back set for the remainder of the night. This was when it felt like the real party was getting started, as a significant number of crowd members dashed up on the stage to dance alongside What So Not's Emoh Instead (aka Chris Emerson), A-Trak and a bunch more MCs and special guests.

For the vast majority of the crowd, it felt as though they weren't nearly as interested in how strenuous the activity of the DJs was in comparison to how fluid and dance-heavy the artists' mixes were. As with all of these DJ-centred shows, it's the crowd's level of satisfaction and entrancement with the music that really brings the best out of the night. For this show, the crowd and the music complemented each other so well that it made having a good time as easy as turning up to the night.