The Crawl – Jordan Lanegan – a Column from Xperience Monthly

For most music fanatics of this paper, the world of rave and electronic dance is likely a little lost on them and their era. With its emergence comes a whole range of new and younger fanbases. Even with me being a part of that generation and realm, hearing of DJ Dr. Fresch was a first for me.

Based out of Los Angeles, Fresch pulls inspiration from early 90s and 2000s metal and West Coast hip-hop influences, evolving into more bass-forward electronic styles and imprinting on a sub-genre known as G-house, or “gangster house” – fusing elements of house, trap and rap – the flavor profile where he reigns and dominates his craft now. In 2019, Fresch and Insomniac Music Group launched his latest label, The Prescription, which he believes is an all-embracing representation of who he has most proudly become as an artist and DJ and where collectively they introduce and gather producers who share a similar vision and sound.

Dr. Fresch is dark, groovy and snyth-y, dabbling in samples, percussive nods, ominous vocals and heavy build-ups followed by huge drops that amplify the beats and get the crowd hyped to new levels. The venue that we saw him at in Philadelphia this past weekend, The Ave, is a dark, intimate and sexy club atmosphere where we somehow managed to work our way into the VIP section which gave us a phenomenal bird-eye vantage of the main stage and chaos that ensued below us.

As a part of the audience, one of the most magical additions to an electronic show is the implementation of lasers that seamlessly synchronize with the music and enhance visuals. The production that goes into a laser show is gnarly in its own regard, as technicians mix BPM with color, intensity, movement patterns and laser sequences, all which elevate emotional waves and total sensory control of the viewer.

For those who have perhaps never experienced a live set like this, let me paint a pretty picture. Pre-game as usual. Stand in line and make friends with those around you. “Have you seen *said artist* before?!” asks someone. The answer “no” from a stranger launches an excited conversation of what is about to proceed when gates open. The closer you get to security and entrance, the more the inside beats permeate and tingle throughout you. The energy increases. The darkness of the outside evening lends no comparison to the darkness inside of the club. An array of fragrances begins to overwhelm you – perfume, sweat, cologne, weed, booze – and something else you can’t quite put your finger on (and probably don’t want to). Spilled drinks and bumped shoulders are almost welcomed in this particular environment. You glance at the people surrounding you. The outfits. The hair. The faces. The most very telling of pupils and eyes. We are all the same, yet all on different and strange levels.

Slowly, the crowd cusps their beverages, plants their feet semi-sturdily and simmers down as they realize the main event is about to begin. The vibe is hush-hush and elbow nudging to friends to shut the f* up and cast their eyes on the DJ booth in front of them, dim lit and foggy as it may be as Dr. Fresch strolls forward and announces his presence.

Trance like tones begin but quickly fade. Base emits. Over and over and over again with green, purple and red lasers spitting out in front of you. The frequency of the beats with the lasers combined make you feel like you’re on drugs even if everyone else is, but you are not. People are attempting to scale poles to get a better view, and those who can’t quite get the finger-grasp they thought they could, fall into random hands who settle them gently down into the floor that nobody wants to see with sober eyes.

There is a period when the fist bumping and ‘goddamn this is nasty’ faces subside to jointly wait for the beat to drop (a holy shit moment in and of itself with so many sardines crammed in there), but when it does drop, and everyone looks at one another with a 1…2…3… mentality – pure, respective, animalistic chaos derives in all its gloriousness.  And just when you think it might be too much bass, just when you might think it may be a touch too much repetitiveness — a sweet, easy melody drapes over and brings you down to simultaneously match the visuals on the screen behind Fresch — lyrics to a song you know, but you can’t remember why, deepening into a layer of nothing you’ve ever seen or vibrated to before.

This might seem extreme. And I get that. But to be frank, that is the only way to describe it.  EDM is extreme to many people, which is fair, and this level of G-house is nothing short of pretty hardcore — I wasn’t even sure if I’d like it. But here I am to say, that WOW, did I love it, and would go to another show by him, or anyone else in the genre, again and again and again. Word to the wise, ending on a cliché, per use: broaden your horizons. Just a smidge. Because you might just really goddamn dig it.