Girl Talk @ the Congress: A Split Review

Take 1: What the...? Huh?

Not being very familiar with Girl Talk's work, a ticket was extended by a friend. The format of the show is unlike most that I attend, but it could make for an interesting show if the DJ can pull it off. What I got was 30 second clips of popular music and an amateur dance review. First, Girl Talk is nothing more than a dude with a laptop or two. So to have a rocking stage show would require a lot of effort & inspiration, it appeared he gave 50%. What the audience got was 100 lucky fans on stage dancing around Girl Talk's creation station. Mostly, these people took turns fighting to the front of the stage & then proceeding to dance like "Step Up 2 Tha Streets"- hipster edition rejects. There were more tight jeans, neon accessories, and flippant attitudes in that theatre than in all Urban Outfitters combined. There was a video screen that flashed images and graphics around, but they were confusing & irrelevant. At the start of his set, he had 2 or 3 people walking around the stage with air-propelled toilet paper dispensers. They didn't get very far into the audience & were neat as a science project, but failed as a concert tool. Later in the show, (presumably) these same TP-ers took to filling up giant balloons at the rear of the stage and sending them into the audience. Of the 4, I think one made it farther than halfway into the audience. The rest were popped quickly by selfish fans that wouldn't release their hands when the balloon wanted to move. Seems like an act more suited to smaller venues & house parties than the expanse of the Congress.

How the heck am I supposed to dance to this music? There are like, 33 different songs cut up & combined and played over one another and edited within each track and once I find a rhythm to dance to, something completely different would be playing, but not quite and my sonic sensibilities were mashed like potatoes. I found my brain fighting with my legs. Brain won. Legs are only useful when given directions by brain. Legs moving on their own accord ends with blushing, nervous drinking, and occasional tension-breaking remarks with the only other "whathefuckisgoingon" looking guy near you.

I did not dance. I drank beers & left early.



Take 2: Hell YEA!

Without a doubt Girl Talk is a visionary DJ in certain respects. You know how sometimes you hear the first few chords of a song on the radio & you begin singing, only to realize that the song is completely different than the one that you thought it was? Well, Girl Talk has taken that instance & maximized it. From Kanye to the Doors, Smashing Pumpkins to 'NSYNC he blends together beats and bits to form body-shaking dance cadence. As each bit ends and another begins, the change in vibe/ perspective/emotion of the audience is almost tangible. Bodies move as they wish, but under the guidance of the maestro; each contributing piece of music independent of the others, but still participating in the collective product.

While he has traditionally been restricted to clubs and small venues, his big-ticket debut was a blast. He mentioned early on that the crowd at the Congress was the largest that he has played for. What a party it was! Thousands of excited fans saturated the dance floor, eager to embrace the fleshy confines. To see a sea of sweaty smiling faces was a treat unthought-of in another environment. The space inside the Congress magnified the intensity of GT's beats.

If you like Top-40 hits then GT is the dj for you. Spanning decades, genres and rhythms he splices together intricate webs of visceral expression. Nearly every contribution is recognizable of it own accord, but it creates to a whole new product when blended with the other great samples. Like a lover, the tease keeps the audience wanting more. Except that GT's mixes never allow the chance to fawn over a missed opportunity. One after another the hits emerge, constantly building and redirecting, filling in the pop symphony.

I left sweaty, tired, and with a smile from ear-to-ear.