This is ‘The Spotlight.’ Many artists pass through D.C. on a weekly basis, but this column highlights one specific artist who happens to be playing in the district during the week. That way, you may join their journey in influencing the house music landscape.
Moombahton is partially responsible for the resurgent, diverse dance music community we see today in Washington, D.C. and no act can lay stake to that claim as much as Nadastrom. The duo, comprised of DJs Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom, has been on the forefront of the scene since its inception: at a party in 2009, Nada made the career defining choice to blend house and club tracks with dancehall. And while he wasn’t the first artist to manipulate club music with Latin and reggaeton influences, it didn’t take long for the mash of genres to spread throughout the underground community in Washington. Fast forward to 2015, Nadastrom is easily one of the biggest electronic acts to arise out of D.C. having played all over the world including dates at Electric Daisy Carnival, Fabric, and Electric Zoo as well as featured spots by the reigning Queen of BBC Radio One, Annie Mac.
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The group, along with frequent collaborator Sabo, is also a driving force behind the Moombahton Massive parties thrown regularly at D.C.’s crown jewel of the underground dance movement, U Street Music Hall. These parties, which have also lead to the group’s involvement in curating stages for HARD, are notable for bringing in some of the hottest talent from all over the world – such as Toddla T and Munchi – as well as consistently being on the cutting edge of the subgenre often employing unique visuals and killer audio to complement the freshest sounds in the movement. These parties continue to sell out venues worldwide as well further proving that Nadastrom’s imprint on tropical bass is becoming deeper as time rolls forward.
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But while they’re presence moombahton is still incredibly strong, their 2015 self-titled release on Friends of Friends sang a very different tune as it featuring soundscapes and character from a wholly different sonic catalog; an album which saw the duo experiment with what was already considered, by them, as an act of experimentation. This shift in direction marked a breakthrough for the group, and moombahton, as it allowed for a new ebb and flow showcasing a welcome branching out that connected the subgenre to many of the other molds featured in the canon of house music. In regards to their self-titled LP, Nada described it as a project where he and Nordstrom wanted “people to get lost in the tunes.”
Nadastrom’s mentality and overall approach as a group towards music has always been one about inclusivity and allowing the positive energy in a room to grow to its furthest, and most instinctual, potential; they have always seemed to find that balance between going full-on rager and blissed out commune which is not only a testament to their talent as tastemakers, but also as individuals who understand music is an experience which requires feeling. And as they begin to tread new ground as their sound evolves alongside the very subgenre they helped christen, the only thing we have left to say is, “Rock on.”
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Nadastrom will perform an extended set alongside Ken Lazee at U Street Music Hall this Saturday for this month’s #BLISS party. For event information, visit the following link.