(All Photos By Corey Regensburger)

The energy at Terminal 5 was electric this past Saturday night, November 29, 2014. Not only was Conspirator playing its last show of the year in New York City, but the godfathers of electronic jam, The New Deal, played their first concert in the Big Apple for the first time in almost three years. With fantastic music and a great crowd, the performance was one to remember.

The vibe within the venue was stellar, effortlessly combining the summer of love with the rave kids of the early 1990s. As fellow concert goers shared decorative accessories and danced to the upbeat grooves of each act, I knew I chose the right show to attend on a night filled with great live music options.

After a DJ set by nu-disco group Escort revved up the audience, Conspirator took the stage and got the party started right away. Coming off of a great year full of multiple creative projects, bassist Marc Brownstein captivated the audience with his incredible chops and Disco Biscuits’ band mate Aron Magner tore it up on the keys, giving meaning and new life to the “jamtronica” genre. Conspirator played a set that was nothing short of stunning, one that displayed that Brownstein and Magner are at the top of their game.

 

 

Finally, The New Deal solidified their impressive comeback by hitting the ground running. Keyboardist Jamie Shields and bassist Dan Kurtz waste no time getting back into the groove and rocking Terminal 5. In a recent interview with L4LM, Kurtz attributes the group’s return to the stage to the most recent Daft Punk release and the re-introduction of retro bass to EDM. This influence and resurgence is very apparent in the group’s upbeat, funky style and overall stage presence. New drummer Joel Stouffer looked at ease leading the beat-heavy band, demonstrating his jazz-centered skills and his musical talent alongside Shields and Kurtz.

 

 

 

 

While Terminal 5 imposed an unfortunate 1:00am stop time, the New Deal was determined to pack in as much music as they possibly could into their 90-minute set time. The guys skipped the theatrics of an encore in order to play just one additional, much appreciated extra jam. Although the guys only teased and did not actually play any of their songs from past albums, the concert itself was everything I wanted it to be.

Conspirator and the New Deal played energetic, highly entrancing, and incredibly fun sets that had the entire venue dancing the holiday weekend away. The New Deal had New York City enthusiastically buying whatever they were selling. With any luck, they’ll come back for another great performance in the area soon!

 

– Marisa Frydman (@musicalmarisa)