It was Saturday night at Webster Hall, which meant only one thing…’brite nites’. ‘brite nites’ is an interactive party experience focused on bringing the city’s most passionate EDM ravers the biggest names in dance music. This night…Danny Avila was expected to take the throne. The line for the show went down the block as hardcore ravers decked out in neon attire and wealthy couples dressed to the nines patiently waited to enter the New York landmark. Over a thousand raving souls cluttered and sold out the upstairs grand ballroom by midnight.
The opener was unnamed, but took advantage of every moment he had on stage to warm up the crowd for the young superstar. He mainly stuck to electro and minimal beats, staying away from vocals. All headliners appreciate this because the purpose of the opener DJ is to get the crowd warmed up. To get their feet tapping and heads bobbing. However, he may have gotten the crowd a little too rowdy near the end of his set when he started to play a rendition of “Satisfaction.” The crowd jumped in unison as confetti cannons and CO2 cannons erupted over the entirety of the ballroom. The clock had struck 1am and Danny was nowhere to be seen. I ended up having dinner (at a lovely restaurant) with Danny’s dad earlier in the day. His dad took a separate earlier flight because Danny had been performing the night before until very late. Danny’s flight got delayed by two hours so he was going to have to land at JFK and quickly get himself ready to perform at one of the most famous venues in New York City in a very short amount of time.
Around 1am, people started saying “Where’s Danny?” Numerous photographers and VIP guests hovered onto the stage behind the opener DJ around 1:30am. Suddenly, a beautiful head of hair rose from behind the DJ table. Brown hair with blond streaks. Danny had arrived. The room bursted with cheers for his arrival. Danny transitioned out of the opener’s set and immediately took command of the night. I was worried that the opener DJ had worn out the crowd too much during his set, but Danny’s presence filled the room with an second wind of energy that lasted the entire night.
In the beginning of his set, Danny had already checked off jumping onto the DJ table and crowd surfing. The young DJ meant business. He provided the ballroom with a very positive youthful energy that was less of “Yo let’s f***ing rage bro” and more of “Let’s live it up tonight and have an epic time.” Good vibes all around. PLUR was definitely in its prime form. Everyone was there for the music. When I spoke to Danny’s dad about the music industry and all the controversy regarding the drug scene, ghost producers and financial aspects, he said with a smile that Danny “was all about the music.” Danny doesn’t drink or smoke. He produces all of his music and credits his rise to quick rise to fame to his excellent work ethic and connections he has made over the years.
Danny took full control of the audience with his big synths and thundering bass lines that were supported by Webster Hall’s godly sound system. In background visuals were pretty awesome as they featured himself doing karate chops and jumping in slow motion. Danny played a flawless set with seamless transitions. He wasn’t a single beat off and made it clear that he truly mastered the craft of spinning. You could tell he was having a blast on stage and was simply doing what he loves to do. The Webster Hall ‘brite nites’ models were illuminated in neon colors. The two models looked identical. They were also holding CO2 cannons. The image was incredibly sexy. The crowd exploded when the bass dropped and the models were shooting out CO2 to the beat of the drop. If that wasn’t insane enough, a professional aerial dancing effortlessly climbed up a silk rope and started doing spins and flips 5o feet in the air. Everyone was going NUTS.
I confirmed his natural godly talent for DJing when he transitioned from Showtek’s “Cannonball vocal “Let the bass cannon kick it” into A-Trak’s remix of “Heads Will Roll.” Nailed the transition. He then transitioned into a hardstyle buildup that resulted in an epic dubstep drop with Skrillex’s “Bonfire.” Talk about versatility! How many DJs do you know that can utilize so many different genres within 5 minutes of a performance? UNREAL. He surprised the audience with a throwback transition to the track “Satisfaction.” Perhaps the opener DJ regretted playing that earlier in the night. Many people noticed the repeat track. However, good vibes were still strong. Was the track going to have an electro drop like the opener had? Survey says: RUN THE TRAP. Oh sheesh ya’ll, Danny brought the crowd into a state of pandemonium with an utterly dirty trap remix. He even played Steve Aoki’s remix of “Pursuit of Happiness.” The crowd going wild would be an understatement.
Danny Avila is the definition of an excellent EDM artist. An incredible set complimented by an awesome performance. He loved interacting with the fans and had so much love to give. He is in the industry for the music. Danny is on a great path right now and is working with some of the best EDM producers right now for upcoming tracks. Expect great things from this young international superstar. He has accomplished so much by the age of 18 that most artists have not and will never achieve. It takes natural talent and a love for the art. Danny took the night by storm and seized his entire audience within the first few minutes of his set. Someone of his age and talent is a rare find. Look for his name to be on the list with the top EDM artists at the top festivals in the near future. Much love and full support from us.
Photos taken by Frank Bruno: Facebook | Website
