Washington, D.C. is home to a weird crowd. Strangely enough, the people of the nation’s capital provided the ideal atmosphere for Jacques Greene (pseudonym for Philip Aubin-Dionne), a New York-based house producer originally from Montreal, Canada on Nov. 18. This show marked the fourth stop out of 11 on the 24-year-old DJ’s headlining live tour in North America.
For the first time in a while, Black Cat hosted an artist that was not even remotely rock based -- this was house music at its finest. Greene performed in the Backstage, the lower level of the venue that fits approximately 200 people. The smaller space allowed for a more intimate experience -- the distance between Greene and the crowd was so close that a few people dared to take selfies in front of the table covered with his equipment while he was in action. However, the connection between him and his audience reaches a deeper level with every pulsing beat and turn of the knob.
For the most part, people were fully entranced by Greene for the entire evening, dancing to their heart’s content or aggressively bobbing their heads as they lost themselves to the layers of sound and entered another zone. Greene completely throws himself into the music as well, eyes closed, head tilted back if he’s not hunched over his analog equipment. When he’s really into a track, he smiles while mouthing all the words. Sometimes, Greene even unleashes some dance moves -- people on the floor be warned, this man can really move.
Behind the mysterious man of the hour was a screen that projected a series of flashing visuals with artistic internet aesthetics. Anyone that hung around after the show now knows that Greene is both fascinated and frightened by the level of access that the internet provides. He could talk about the complexity of the World Wide Web for hours, as well as his low level of involvement on Tindr. Greene is all about exploring other dimensions and his set opens the mind to alternate realities.
Greene’s set went on for about an hour-- it was too easy to lose track of time -- and included tracks from the “Phantom Vibrate” EP and “After Life After Party” EP, as well as old favorites like “On Your Side (feat. How To Dress Well)” and “Quicksand.” He also added new remixes such as Autre Ne Veut’s “Play By Play” and Bando Jonez’s “Sex You."
Greene ended the night with the infamous remix of Ciara’s “Body Party” and returned for a brief encore to spin the Tinashe collaboration “Painted Faces.” It was one of those special nights that left everyone feeling hungover from a daydream, questioning whether or not what had happened was real. Anyone that entered the show unsure of how they felt about Greene most likely left with a new obsession and sense of admiration.
Greene has the ability to blow the mind in ways that viewers don’t even know are possible. Next time he comes through D.C., expect to see him going up on the stage at U Street Music Hall.
