Zimmer gets personal at Great Scott

Zimmer
featuring André Obin and Haulm

November 6, 2018 at Great Scott

It was a Tuesday night on the tail end of a dreadful storm. A cool breeze flowed through the empty streets of Allston, making it feel like a ghost town with the Great Scott as its graveyard. The venue was empty with no sign of recovery, and it felt awkward being part of an audience of only a handful of people, waiting for more to show up. But as Pink Floyd underlines in The Wall, “The show must go on.” André Obin, a local artist with international recognition in the underground electronic music scene, kicked things off with an immersive live set filled with beautiful melodies and a special energy that would’ve sounded even better if the venue was packed. Same goes for the eclectic Brooklyn-based duo Haulm, who offered an interesting live performance composed of solid beats, ambient synths and maybe a bit too many falsettos.

When Zimmer finally stepped up on stage, there were only 10 people there to watch him play. “Come closer together, let’s get personal,” he uttered, before starting his set. Through a blend of pre-recorded stems, live synth-work and an improvised use of drum-machines, the French producer created an atmospheric and emotional world for the lucky few that came out that night. The lighting design added a lot to the experience, making it feel as if the stage was a spaceship and Zimmer was on the controls. I also want to highlight the moment when he played his latest single ‘Wildflowers.’ It’s such a great track, and he made it sound even better by showing his skills on all the fancy goodies that surrounded him. Despite the small crowd, he managed to make everyone dance through his musical compositions that ranged from down-tempo electronica to upbeat deep house.

The music performed throughout the night was elegant and of excellent quality overall, and it’s sad that there were so few people to witness it. On top of that, Great Scott is more of a rock venue – the sound system didn’t fit for the characteristics of the music, and the interior design with the bar, TVs, and general layout felt awkward. It could have been that people just didn’t feel like going out on that stormy night, and not that the venue and artists weren’t appealing, but something is for certain: the underground electronic music scene hasn’t yet found its place in Boston.

Listen to Zimmer: