A bitter, brisk Sunday didn’t stop Fox Stevenson fans from flocking to the historic Black Cat in D.C., eager to catch a few track spins and his latest project.
Fox Stevenson is the shining example of many current EDM fans and artists. He started out following pop-punk, attending Warped Tour and similar events, and later found a love for spinning the decks. The result is an artist who has a body of work that is as funky and bass-driven as it is melodic. His most recent venture features live vocals, drums, and guitar. It’s not necessarily a shift away from the current EDM landscape, with big names like Odesza consistently raising the bar on live elements, but it is an intentional choice.
On Sunday, Stevenson opened with those live elements. His setlist consisted of pop-punk-driven anthems that ask the questions the genre has been trying to answer for decades. Why me? Why now? How can I get through this? The crowd responded emphatically, so much so that Stevenson himself got drowned out during choruses. The effect was resounding: a space of shared frustration emerged, and the audience was allowed to air their grievances with the words “I’ll find my way out of this wasteland, ’cause this wasteland ain’t home”.
After an incredible live set with his band, Stevenson came back out to spin the tracks that started his career. Opening with his classic “Gold Dust” remix, he reestablished command of the audience. Unlike other DJs, Stevenson has the unique opportunity to play remixes of his own music. It was refreshing to hear the songs we all just rocked out to, reimagined by the engineer himself. The set had everything necessary to close out a show during the region’s most dramatic cold snap in decades. Full of drums, bass, and cheer, it made going back out into the world a little bit more feasible.
