- Having established an impressive track record through the production of dance floor anthems such as “Mindcircus,” “Intensify,” and “The Gift,” as well as remixing the likes of BT and Lustral, to name just a few, Way Out West are ready to push their act to a whole new level with their soon to be released, full length album “Don’t Look Now.” Featuring the vocal talents of singer, Omi, DJ/Producers, Nick Warren and Jody Wisternoff dominated the center stage at Avalon as the two, joined by vocalist Omi for parts of the evening, took the opportunity to perform an array of selections from their eagerly anticipated album due out this fall. Ranging from a smooth blend of head bobbing breaks, progressive house beats and melodic vocals, their live performance featuring Odi, coupled with Nick and Jodi’s well-crafted DJ sets, made for a musically diverse and energetic evening perfectly suited for lovers of all styles of electronica.
With over half a dozen discs capturing the pulsing, nocturnal sounds of Brazil, Amsterdam and Budapest to his credit under the Global Underground mix series, Nick Warren opened up Way Out West’s performance with a chill, breaks-ridden string of mixes most characteristic of his recent work on disc 1 of his Reykjavik set (Global Underground 24). It wasn’t long, however, before Nick (wearing a T-shirt that read “Look No Style”) sped the tempo up a bit; swiftly erasing the boundaries between progressive house and breaks as he mixed a collection of dubbed-out tracks with the grace of someone so flawless on the decks that style indeed becomes but an after thought when you hear him mixing.
Not too long after Nick stirred up the crowd with his “no style” technique, Jodi Wisternoff got into the mix of things by playing devil’s advocate to his partner, Nick, and spinning in the harder more progressive type tracks to push the vibe into that late night, hard, four-to-the floor realm. No stranger to trancy, bass ridden, heavy beats with catchy, melodic hooks, Nick tag-teamed with Jody to unleash that Way Out West sound that only the duo in action can create.
Just when the crowd started to get entranced by the deeper late night beats being offered by Nick and Jody, the lights dimmed down a bit and the mood changed, as the charismatic, Omi, stepped up to the microphone in front of the stage and joined the guys to perform a select few tracks from the recently completed “Don’t Look Now” record. The tracks, each with a unique sense of melody and craftsmanship, are surely the product of what can only be achieved through creativity and hard work in the studio. With Omi’s smooth vocals harmoniously laid over Way Out West’s productions, it seems like only a matter of time before the duo will be pushing their act way beyond the decks, the studio and the live stage, and into the charts of a country near you!
After Omi, Nick and Jodi performed the last of their live material, and Nick took to the decks once more to take control of the dance floor, Jody later returned to take command of the vibe at around 4:00 a.m., following up his partner with a relentless attack of deep progressive tracks perfectly suited for that no frills, give-me-hard-deep-beats, after-hours crowd that took all that Jodi could dish out.
Having made an impressive performance at Avalon, Way Out West will remain in North America until May 22nd, when Nick and Jody will be heading back to Europe for the summer in support of their forthcoming album “Don’t Look Now.”