Venue: Zouk Club, Singapore
Date: 17th May 2014
Promoter: Zouk Entertainment Pte Ltd
Review by: Hanis A.
Special Thanks: Charmaine, and the Zouk Club team
Two Saturday nights ago, we had the pleasure of having Guy and Howard Lawrence of Disclosure grace us with their magic technique.
Debuting in 2010, the duo only broke through the scene in 2012 with a cleaner, more pop-oriented sound featuring artist collaborations. They had their first UK hit in October 2012, with the single “Latch”, featuring vocals from Sam Smith. This got them more attention from around the world leading to more international gigs, and finally landing here in Singapore. When their album, Settle, was released in May 2013, they gained a Grammy nomination, not too shabby for a new up-and-comer.
Playing at Zouk for Bassic presents, the Lawrence brothers managed to attract a huge crowd to Zouk that evening. So much such that there was only enough space for people to do the side step on the dancefloor, which probably was not satisfying enough for anyone to express their love for Disclosure’s entrancing beats. Nevertheless, everyone found their own space on the dance floor and let Guy and Howard take over the room.
The boys knew exactly what the crowd wanted and unleashed the crowd favourite, “When A Fire Starts To Burn”, almost immediately. As soon as the words “when a fire starts to burn” played on the speakers, the crowd went crazy, singing along to every word and using up every square inch of their little space on the dance floor to move their bodies. This thankfully distracted everyone from the crowdedness and set them all into high spirits.
Of course they played the inevitable “White Noise” and “Latch” to maintain the mood. It was almost impossible to keep yourself from moving to the beat, and with the booming speakers, it was inevitable that you realize how proficient the Disclosure boys are, from behind their computers all the way to their live set up. The boys are proficient producers but they were also flawless in delivering a perfect mix and flow during their live performance.
At some points during the set, Guy and Howard addressed the crowd and thanked them, setting the crowd off again. To close, they played their remix of Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson”. It was, in my opinion, a classy way to close a set; who wouldn’t go crazy to Outkast? It was a nice change of pace for the crowd to calm down to.
By the end of the set, Guy and Howard said their thanks and left the DJ podium, leaving the crowd with nothing but their almost satisfied appetites. Hopefully the two of them come back in the future to quench that little bit of thirst, and also play a bigger venue so people can have a little more room to dance according to their magic technique.