Duke Dumont at Oslo

The world of electronic dance music is heaving with DJs trying to make a name for themselves at a time when the demand for such music is still high and nightclubs still provide a platform for them. Duke Dumont has been involved in the EDM scene since 2007, but began to grab people’s attention in 2013 with the release of his single Need U featuring A*M*E. Dumont’s popularity is evident with the crowd that have packed themselves into Hackney’s stylish Oslo to see his set, an upbeat blend of house and pop remixes that have been expertly mixed to get even the most unwilling dancer moving.

Dumont starts the night off with Need U, to the great appreciation of the crowd and then moves on to a more understated dance remix of Love Sublime. Pop and R&B thread through his next track I Got U, a remix of Whitney Houston’s My Love is Your Love, suggesting that Dumont has been able to make his music accessible to a wider audience, particularly with a younger crowd that may not necessarily find themselves attracted to deep house but still appreciate a decent bass line. Won’t Look Back is another of Dumont’s tracks that has been played everywhere this summer, a soulful track with Dumont’s classic mixing of synths and bass harking back to early 90s house.

MNEK makes an appearance on stage for their track Hold On, showcasing Dumont’s ability to layer MNEK’s beautifully nuanced voice over synth in such a way as to produce an entirely different, yet no less impressive, dance tune. A remix of HAIM’s Falling is a perfect end to the set: climbing synth and a soft bass drop seems to be exactly what this crowd wants and Duke Dumont knows exactly what to give them.

Miriam Karmali

For further information about Duke Dumont and future events visit here. 

Watch the video for Won’t Look Back here: