It was a glorious night for Drum and Bass in Houston on a balmy Saturday in late September as familiar faces and new gathered for the long-awaited return of what was once hailed as Houston’s longest running DnB monthly, FRENZI.
Hosted in the heart of Midtown at the new home of a fellow bass-music-friendly event, Gritsy, the once-beloved dive bar formerly known as The GRAB on 807 Pierce has seen some major improvements at the hands of new owner Suraj Kurian and the Gritsy crew. Boasting newly renovated bathrooms, a wall of FREE arcade game classics (YES, please!), and a shortened bar which now leaves plenty room to dance in front of Gritsy’s signature WALL OF BASS®, the venue’s complete transformation feels inspired and has us excited to see a new dance music spot opening up in Houston. A full kitchen has been added too, so hopefully, we’ll be able to order up a side of grub to go along with all that bass soon – stay tuned!
The night was to serve as the fledgling venue’s first “official” event since obtaining their liquor license, and, aside from a small but cumbersome hiccup which prevented patrons from running a tab at the bar, everything was well executed and the event went off without a hitch. This wasn’t their first rodeo and it showed.
FRENZI residents DVS1 and Estefex kicked things off with a tag team set full of smooth favorites and slick deep cuts – perfectly setting the tone for the evening as guests steadily began to trickle in and say their hellos.
Following suit was Austin resident and weekly host of the Strictly Science Mixshow on Bassdrive.com, dLo, who catered to the swelling horde of drum and bass heads with an expertly mixed and well-balanced selection of heavyweight tunes and panty-droppers (our favorite!).
Next up in the ring for the final round was the man himself, Ant TC1. As the owner of Dispatch Recordings, label manager/events coordinator at Metalheadz, AND artist management coordinator of both the Outlook and Dimensions festivals, Ant TC1 still somehow finds time to kill it in the studio & on tour, which is precisely what he proceeded to do… on three decks… FOR OVER TWO AND A HALF HOURS, Y’ALL!
Skillfully landing blow after bass-heavy blow, Ant treated the lucky crowd to plenty Dispatch dubs and Metalheadz exclusives, with some well-placed classics sprinkled in for good measure, & a few knock-out punches that set the room on fire. Case in point being this Skrillex VIP of Dimension’s “UK”:
Oh my gosh indeed.
Music lover & bass bin hogger.
