Saturday March 2 saw Austrian electro-house duo Global Deejays travel to Beta where a sold-out crowd pushed the Uptown Waterloo club to capacity until closing time. The duo, composed of “Deejay Taylor” and “Deejay Mikkel,” was working a one-man show for the night as Taylor took the reins for the performance. Regardless, the crowd was treated to something different than what a lot of other DJs have to offer.
Global Deejays broke onto the scene in 2004 with their song titled “The Sound of Francisco”, which applied the vocal edit from Scott McKenzie’s “San Francisco” combined with “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas and the Papas. This song was an international sensation as it rocketed to the top of the charts worldwide, eclipsing the mark of holding a spot among several top ten charts. Since then, Global Deejays haven’t reached mainstream recognition and have embraced more of a “euro” sound with the music that they have produced. The duo has been around since house music began gaining momentum and now stand as a fond memory of where the well-known techno music that we know and love began in the early 2000s.
There were a mass of people looking to be a part of the first big show at Beta after reading week, and Global Deejays didn’t disappoint. The audience cheered all night long as Taylor mixed drawn-out buildups with expertise towards an emphatic drop where he mashed a rhythmic bass line combined with a synthesized melody to keep the song in harmony. Halfway through Taylor’s set the power cut-out temporarily and people were unsure of what to do next. With years of experience under his belt, Taylor was unfazed and simply raised his arms to the audience in a pump-up motion to maintain everyone’s enthusiasm. Almost like clockwork the music blared back to life and the raving continued as lasers shot across the room from corner to corner.
The fun continued throughout the rest of the evening, but everyone was well aware of the fact that Global Deejays debut song, The Sound of San Francisco,” had not played yet. Just as it seemed as if the song wouldn’t be played, Taylor announced his appreciation for the crowd and declared his last song of the night, which was none other than what the crowd had been waiting for. Although no longer as prominent as some other mainstream DJs, Global Deejays reminded electronic music lovers of the grassroots by paying homage to a few classics while also incorporating modern progressions into their set.