Written by Ariana Assaf
Hey friends. Last Saturday, thanks to Festival Squad, I got to take a trip to a land of dazzling big room/electro house. A land where visitors are welcome (and expected) to indulge themselves in belting the most drippingly sentimental lyrics while embracing their true inner bro. Guided by Austin-born DJ/producers Chad Cisneros and David Reed—known together as Tritonal—I ventured to Tritonal. Along with the rest of the crowd at Pontiac’s Elektricity, I “put my motherfuckin’ hands up” to the sounds of some of today’s most ubiquitous dance music. Below is an account of what went down, organized into sections inspired by my thoughts as the night went on (and maybe a little bit by the fact that I just graduated college and am somehow still in report card mode…do we even have those in college?) Take a peek, check out Tritonal as they continue on their tour of the US through June, and let us know how your experience compares.
Command of crowd: Granted this group came ready to obey, but that just goes to show how strong a fan base Tritonal has developed. When hundreds of people jump, scream, etc. at only the slightest cue, you know you’re doing something right.
Ego: Suffice it to say they didn’t wait for a member of said crowd to start the “TRI-TO-NAL” chant…perhaps this should fall under self-motivated?
Successful development of cult following: See above.
Expected filthiness: N/A. Just in case you’re not familiar with their style, it can generally be characterized by a whole lot of squeaky clean twinkly sounds. Dub heads, look elsewhere for your grime fix.
Sap factor: HIGH. These are songs you’re meant to sing along to. And if you didn’t know the words, the graphics conveniently provided some karaoke-style direction. Not that I needed it—especially when “Blackout” came on.
Danceable: It took me awhile to get going, but ultimately, yes. Just had to negotiate a spot in between bros first.
(Over)use of confetti: The stuff was swirling around by the third song. But then again, why not?
Satisfied my guilty pleasures: Absolutely (see previous three topics). All I had been wanting to do for a week prior to the show was sing/dance my heart out to some of EDM’s catchiest tunes, and that’s just what I got to do. The production gimmicks were icing on the cake.
Over too soon: Also yes. Lucky for us, they’re playing festivals like Sunset Music Festival, Spring Awakening, and Digital Dreams this summer, which means there are plenty more opportunities to catch them!