Amidst the craziness of the first weekend of Coachella, there was still plenty of good times to be had if you didn't attend the festival. On Saturday at Sutra in Costa Mesa, the trap king himself, UZ, put on a perfect display of how trap should be not only produced but performed. UZ also celebrated 3 years of being in the game earlier this month and I can't imagine electronic music today without the mysterious producer. Orange County was in for a treat that night, as was I. One of the best kept secrets, literally, in the music industry, UZ has been killing it ever since he stepped into the scene and shows no signs of slowing down. He remains one of my personal favorite producers out there today and words cannot express how much influence his style and production skills have had on not only myself but countless others.
BB Guns took the honors of opening for UZ. I spent the duration of his set amongst the other club goers on the dance floor. I was accompanied by my new partner in crime and Daily Beat featured artist, KATASTROPHIC. BB Guns dropped a solid, yet somewhat predictable opening set. Plenty of hip hop was present, from "I Got 5 On It" to "These Hoes Ain't Loyal" and had a gradual decent into the trap realm of darkness. As I took a look around the club, I noticed however that those in attendance had no idea what was about to happen next nor were prepared for the onslaught of trap and bass.
At 12:15am, the trap king came up to the decks. With his turntables and laptop, UZ showed us it doesn't take much gear to absolutely destroy a venue. This was my fourth time seeing this legend and was absolutely my favorite time catching him. He came out the sound of a massive air horn and you could feel that something beautifully evil was about to go down. The lights turned off, UZ came to the decks, and all hell was let loose for the next hour and a half. I also had the most unique opportunity to watch his entire set from right behind him just behind the stage. This in and of itself was enough to experience as I have never had that opportunity before. To be able to witnesses an entire set from right behind the artist is something I highly recommend to anyone who might come across the same opportunity as I did. His flawless mixing and transitions are unparalleled. The energy the whole set was off the charts. The crowd was drenched in sweat, thirsty for more and more. As I watched the masked and hooded black figure of UZ, I noticed that he was tapping his feat to the drum patterns throughout his set. Little things like this intrigue me as I am always curious as to what makes these artists tick. Banger upon banger of his own original material took over the club and as his signature "Trap Shit" productions were blasted out of the speakers, Sutra had become a twerk fest. Definitely one of the most memorable shows I've ever been at, UZ ran the shit out of the trap and left me speechless.
Photos: Bradley Callison