This past Saturday (June 18), I had the pleasure of attending one of my favorite drum and bass artists’ show, Cyantific. The show was thrown by The Crew, a collection of very passionate individuals who throw various events throughout Houston, the most notable of those is their event titled “SOLID.” Cyantific, Jon Stanley, has been at the forefront of drum and bass for over a decade. He is primarily known for devotion to his decks, pinpoint accuracy in the mix, and his ability to construct dance floor anthems. Some of my favorites from him include but are not limited to “Ghetto Blaster,” “Colour in the Shadows,” and “Your Love.” I first heard of Cyantific through Matrix and Futurebound’s monthly podcast; their podcast is what originally fueled my fire for the genre. I was ecstatic to hear that The Crew was bringing artists from Viper Recordings, as they contain some of my favorite heavy hitting drum and bass producers such as ShockOne, Matrix and Futurebound, Cyantific, and The Prototypes. I strongly urge anybody who is either obsessed with or wants to start listening to drum and bass to listen to these artists, as well as their podcasts.
Although I am an avid listener of drum and bass, this was my first drum and bass show ever, and I have to say that impressed would be an understatement. Cyantific did not disappoint as he played many fan favorites such as “Afterglow” by Wilkinson and “Happy Alone” by Matrix and Futurebound. I specifically remember looking around the dancefloor as “Afterglow” was being dropped and everyone around me suddenly dancing in their own little drum and bass world. You could definitely tell the difference between each individuals’ style of dancing and how they expressed themselves to the same song. It made me excited to be there and enjoy the music with people who were there for just that, the music. I am not sure whether it was because of the genre of music (this was my first show in this genre) or if it was because of the individuals who were present, but I finally felt that feeling of true passion for the music being played. This vibe continued the rest of the night as Full Effect MC (aka Gilbert Padilla) from Gritsy, a Houston local drum and bass crew, took over the mic on top of Cyantific’s set as one of the best MCs, in my opinion. Although I didn’t particularly like the venue (Pure Houston), it did not detract from the overall energetic and passionate vibes from the night.
Overall, I had the best experience attending my first drum and bass show in Houston. I look forward to many more. After the show, I got to speak to Cyantific and he is an all-round laid back, passionate man. I am excited to hear what else he has in store for the year since he just released an album with Hospital Records (another badass drum and bass record label) and just started his podcast titled “Cyantific FM.”
Cyantific FM:
