There wasn’t much of an introduction for Martin Garrix at 1OAK in West Hollywood on Thursday night. The 18-year-old Dutch DJ, who’s considered one of EDM’s most promising young stars under Scooter Braun‘s management, took to the decks following at least five minutes of technical difficulties that felt much longer. Lights were on and music was off, as a tech crew scrambled onstage fidgeting with wires and plugs and the crowd grew progressively more aware of the interruption and increasingly perturbed by it.
Martin Garrix Reflects on His Dizzying Rise to Dance Stardom
“Oh, he really needs to do a soundcheck right before his set?” one girl asked out loud in a joke that felt genuine enough.
But quickly the pause was forgotten. And with it, any recollection of whoever’s face was dancing next to you, as the room lights were shut off and in an indistinct shout, Garrix greeted the crowd, launching his set with a big drop and heavy blasts of fog that filled the downstairs floor completely. Foam LCD glow sticks followed with strobes and more bursts of fog to Garrix’s set, which was stacked with club hits like David Guetta‘s “Bad,” Justice vs. Simian‘s “We Are Your Friends,” Icona Pop‘s “I Don’t Care,” Macklemore & Ryan Lewis‘ “Can’t Hold Us” and even a remix of MAGIC!‘s “Rude” that had about everyone singing along. Of course Garrix’s own tracks were in there as well, most notably his hit “Animals,” which after its release in 2013 is still in the top 10 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Streaming Songs chart.
While Garrix showed he could engage the audience, enticing girls to stand up and dance around the nightclub’s tables, he too often denied the crowd a solid groove. Instead, he seemed trigger-happy, cutting songs too soon after the build over and over, creating a somewhat uncomfortable set of peaks and valleys. Regardless, most partyers were excited enough simply being there. With a line of people outside almost equal to the amount in, the exclusive Hollywood hotspot seemed anything but boring, with each guest set on a mission to have a good time.
Save a few offhanded comments about the shooting that occurred at 1OAK almost two weeks ago, when Suge Knight and two others were injured during a pre-VMA party hosted by Chris Brown, there was little sign of any policy changes or the need for them. Guests were scanned with a metal detector before entry, and at the night’s end, four police cars, a motorcycle officer and three bike security ambassadors were all present. The club would not comment on whether there have been any increases in security since then, but a spokesperson from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s West Hollywood Station said on their end, they have not changed anything. It’s been standard since the club opened that on Thursday and Saturday nights — the only nights it runs — they will hire two deputies as well as traffic control officers.
This, he said, “was nothing special or out of the ordinary.”