On Saturday 16th July, Fat Controller played host to GANZ ahead of the Dutch producing prodigy’s debut Splendour in the Grass appearance.
Still celebrating the enormous success of brand new EP ‘GAO’, GANZ aka Jordy Saämena brought his absolute A-game on Saturday night.
The Dutchman weaved his own mixes and original tracks into a seamless yet genre-diverse DJ set which featured not only an array of music across the EDM spectrum, but a healthy supply of hip-hop and rap. Opening with his famed remix of Flume’s ‘HyperParadise’ rework, he set the scene for a show tailored to an Aussie crowd.
Adelaide certainly provided the goods in terms of crowd and atmosphere, with the Fat Man bursting at the seams of his oversized breaches. The sea of mosh pit sardines went crazy when GANZ dropped A$AP Ferg and Schoolboy Q’s ‘Work Remix’, and the pandemonium only escalated with Desiigner’s ‘Panda’. Lulls in the set left perfect opportunities for the Dutchman to drop his more delicate tunes, ‘Light Years’ and ‘Faded’ entrancing the audience while also displaying GANZ’s uncanny ability to eclipse genres.
GANZ offered up abridged versions of most of his ‘GAO’ EP tracks, most notably his collaboration with Australia’s own What So Not and JOY. ‘Lone’ which, since its release, has amassed more than three million combined streams on Spotify and SoundCloud. ‘GAOBEAR’, featuring Dutch-English rapper Dusty left its mark on the Fat Controller crowd, many of whom may not have been familiar with the track.
Having such a stage presence without saying a word, GANZ left the talking to his MC, who thanked the crowd and made way for the after party, which came in the form of Triple J’s ‘Good Nights’ host Linda Marigliano. The much-loved Marigliano kept the party going well into the (not-so) early hours of the morning, mixing heavy house tunes and making it very difficult to leave the dancefloor.
Going into a gig not knowing quite what to expect is always a gamble, but 26-year-old GANZ used this ambiguity to his advantage. He engaged the crowd with perfectly timed stops and starts, highs and lows, crescendos and drops. It’s also worth mentioning he wasn’t just ‘pressing play’, a crime of which we know some modern producers are guilty, not mentioning any names of course (although I’d love to).
GANZ doesn’t just make music, he lives and breathes it. His willingness to pay homage to other artists, mixing their tunes in alongside his own, shows not only a passion for music itself, but a great deal of musical prowess and knowledge. This isn’t just a day job for the Dutchman; this is a way of life. If you’re going to Splendour, you need to see this set.
Images: Fat Controller FB Page
