MALL GRAB
Y Plas, Cardiff University Students Union
Fri 1 Mar
Dance music’s wonderkid Mall Grab graces Cardiff’s Y Plas on this year’s St David’s Day. The 25-year-old Australian producer has risen to swift success since his debut Boiler Room in Paris in 2016, which saw him audaciously mix his own tracks amongst the likes of Kylie Minogue and Snoop Dogg. Fast forward to 2019, and Mall Grab’s Australian record label Steel City Dance Discs is flourishing, whilst he has emerged as the hottest DJ property on the house circuit.
Citing influence from such obscure musical alcoves as his father’s Talking Heads records and the Grand Theft Auto soundtrack, the eclecticism of any given Mall Grab set demonstrates a DJ that’s in love with his day job. Initially arriving from the southern hemisphere by YouTube and SoundCloud, Mall Grab’s boyish charm and wry grin behind the decks have now won over a whole new generation of party-goers.
Whilst he’s often pinned as the poster boy for the new trendy sub-genre ‘lo-fi house’, he’s certainly gone at lengths to unshackle himself from being pigeon-holed. Some of his earlier productions certainly wield a crackly, sample-heavy feel, and big hi-hat hits like Pool Party Music and Catching Feelings were the head-turners that put him on his pedestal. Yet his more recent releases – none more so than several tracks on his latest EP Why The Dogs Chill Vol. 1 – are far more techno and garage oriented, and his sets now take on a far heavier tone. Fans watch his growth like parents, often proud and occasionally concerned he’s being led astray.
Joined by two other Aussie rising stars in Loods and Nite Fleit, plus Swedish disco-house specialist Salary Boy, this Looking For Trouble tour sees the four DJs line up as old friends. There’s a palpable chemistry and genuine enjoyment in each party they play, and it’s infectious; they could just as easily be stood in one of their living rooms, cajoling and playing their favourite records together. Luckily, we’re all invited to the party.
words Charlie Cottrell
Tickets: £18/£15. Info: 029 2078 1458 / facebook.com/thencamecure