EARMILK EARMILK
  • NEW MUSIC
    • DANCE
    • ELECTRONIC
    • EXPERIMENTAL
    • HIP-HOP
    • INDIE
    • POP
    • ROCK
  • INDUSTRY NEWS
    • DOCUMENTARIES
    • EVENTS
    • FASHION
    • LIFESTYLE
    • MUSIC GEAR
    • MUSIC INDUSTRY
    • TECHNOLOGY
  • OPINION
  • ALBUM REVIEWS
  • GEAR REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • FEATURES
    • FESTIVALS
    • EXCLUSIVES
    • LISTS
    • CONTESTS
    • Photo Journals
  • SERIES
    • Artist to Watch
    • Under The Crust
    • Flashback Friday
    • Suicide Sundaes
    • Daily 2%
    • The Club
    • Weekend Selector
    • Mashup Mondays
    • Artist Remixed
    • Wobble Wednesday
    • Night Rumours
    • Indie Sabbath
    • Straight No Chase
    • Straight From the Teet
  • Jobs
  • About EARMILK
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Music
EARMILK EARMILK
EARMILK EARMILK
  • NEW MUSIC
    • DANCE
    • ELECTRONIC
    • EXPERIMENTAL
    • HIP-HOP
    • INDIE
    • POP
    • ROCK
  • INDUSTRY NEWS
    • DOCUMENTARIES
    • EVENTS
    • FASHION
    • LIFESTYLE
    • MUSIC GEAR
    • MUSIC INDUSTRY
    • TECHNOLOGY
  • OPINION
  • ALBUM REVIEWS
  • GEAR REVIEWS
  • INTERVIEWS
  • FEATURES
    • FESTIVALS
    • EXCLUSIVES
    • LISTS
    • CONTESTS
    • Photo Journals
  • SERIES
    • Artist to Watch
    • Under The Crust
    • Flashback Friday
    • Suicide Sundaes
    • Daily 2%
    • The Club
    • Weekend Selector
    • Mashup Mondays
    • Artist Remixed
    • Wobble Wednesday
    • Night Rumours
    • Indie Sabbath
    • Straight No Chase
    • Straight From the Teet
  • Electronic
  • Event Review

The Choices We Face: two triumphant nights in NYC with DROELOE [Tour Review]

  • May 16, 2019
  • Katey Ceccarelli
Total
0
Shares
0
0

They aren't bitbird's little brothers anymore. The two-piece electronic and visual act known as DROELOE has captivated stages from their native Netherlands to far corners of the globe on a relentless tour and release schedule over the past two years. First opening for bird dad San Holo and gaining dominance in the festival circuit before landing their own extensive headline tour, the souls who comprise DROELOE (Vincent Rooijers and Hein Hamer) have much to be proud of.

I was lucky enough to be residing in Brooklyn, New York at the time of the two-night The Choice We Face tour run at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. I consider myself to be a DROELOE lifer, having extensively covered the duo's rise and even flown to Amsterdam to see them play at a variety of ADE events in fall 2017. There was and is something so purely magical about the wistful nostalgic tone of their music, it possessed me enough to get on an transatlantic flight to chase the high. To see DROELOE grow and flourish far past those ADE showcases and pop-up events has been a distinct pleasure for me as both a journalist and fan. And the two-night run in Brooklyn was a triumphant culmination of all Vincent and Hein have accomplished. 

The weekend's sets showcased a selection of some of the genre's most illustrious rising stars on support duty, with luminaries Sober Rob, Fytch, Duskus, and TAILS expertly warming the room for our dynamic duo. DROELOE's signature cube visual rig stood proudly for the openers, but didn't reach it's full blaze until our headliners took the stage. From the first breath to their joyous encore, I can confidently say my mind was properly blown by each of the two nights I spent with those two Dutch lads in Brooklyn.

The set opened with arguably my favorite DROELOE song, the ubiquitous "zZz." If you scroll all the way to the very bottom of DROELOE's Spotify feed, you'll find this magical track nestled right at the beginning of 2016. A spellbindingly magnificent first effort, indeed. What's consistently struck me about DROELOE is their ability as relatively fresh artists, all timelines considered, to have already cornered such a distinctly signature sound. The first time I heard "zZz" was like an awakening my creative musical mind never knew it needed. My eyes and ears were suddenly opened to something entirely new, a bold new beginning suddenly entering my horizon. This was music that made me dance hard but also feel things I didn't know electronic music, or any music for that matter, could. My hopes and wishes for sublime sonic connection held tightly in their fists, these two unassumingly sweet boys have taken me on the emotional roller coaster ride of my life over the past three years. And "zZz" was just the beginning. 

For music I've played clear into the ground like A Moment In Time, to sleeper favorites like DROELOE's incendiary remix for Charli XCX's "Boys," and newer singles that have become instant classics like "Many Words" and "Backbone" (may it never not be satisfying to scream into the dark – "better grow a fuckin' backbone"), no moment felt remotely stale. That's the sign of music with true staying power; seeing it come to life before your eyes purely deepens your appreciation for melodies you've traced into the sands of your mind more times than you can count. As I swam through each evening's sonic delights, DROELOE's high tech cube was alit in a kaleidoscope of differing patterns and speeds to suit each track's mood, whether delicately blinking one side at a time, or cascading with brilliant undulating waves of light at the set's high points.

The dreamlike occasion came to a close with an assortment of tracks that sent me into the emotional stratosphere. From the iconic "Kitsungi" to bitbird's megacollab "If Only" and San Holo's "lift me from the ground," every soul-stirring track remotely associated with DROELOE was invited to the party. Devotees of bitbird will feel me when I say, what other two tracks could come together to close an evening of this magnitude quite like Taska Black's "Dreaming" and DROELOE's "Sunburn"? Perfection barely scratches the surface. 

So where does DROELOE go from here? Back into the lab to create more magic I can only hope. And the next time we meet, I'm quite sure it will be entirely unique and special, striking the blissfully nostalgic note only DROELOE can. Until next time, "Get on a train and we'll be strangers again." 

Connect with DROELOE: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Official Website

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • bitbird
  • DROELOE
Katey Ceccarelli

Previous Article
  • Indie
  • Indie Pop

Indie pop act The Kelseys find the remedy to "This Life"

  • May 16, 2019
  • Sean Kayden
View Article
Next Article
  • Grunge
  • Indie
  • Premiere

HAVVK fight societal expectations in "Shifting Shape" [Premiere]

  • May 16, 2019
  • Paige Sims
View Article
You May Also Like
LAGOS IN PARIS
View Article
  • Electronic
  • Indie
  • Music Videos
  • Pop

LAGOS IN PARIS find stillness in the storm with “SINATANALE” [Music Video]

  • May 28, 2025
View Article
  • Electronic
  • Festival

Big Sounds Beneath the Trees: Fisher, CamelPhat & Hybrid Minds Among Forbidden Forest's Monumental 2025 Lineup

  • May 28, 2025
View Article
  • Electronic
  • Indie
  • Mainstage
  • New Music
  • Pop
  • Soft Rock

Berlin Pop Rock Outfit Prismala Channels Groove with 'Faith'

  • May 28, 2025
View Article
  • Dance
  • Electronic

Karasu Merodi Blends Chiptune-Infused Electronica with Emotional Depth on “Let Me In"

  • May 27, 2025
View Article
  • Alternative
  • Electronic
  • Experimental

iNKOGNiiTO explores identity and chaos in new EP ‘iNKOMPLETE TERRiTORY’

  • May 27, 2025
GLITCHGIRL.EXE
View Article
  • Electronic
  • Indie
  • Mainstage
  • Pop

Piper Connolly shares cyber-pop chaos with bold remix EP "GLITCHGIRL.EXE"

  • May 26, 2025
View Article
  • Electronic
  • Indie
  • New Music

Buscabulla Returns With 'Te Fuiste'

  • May 23, 2025
View Article
  • Electronic
  • Festival

Field Day 2025 is Packing a Punch with Performances from Electronic Icons: Peggy Gou, Folamour, Bubble Love & More

  • May 22, 2025
Popular Music
  • TOCK + TONE share engaging single "Cool Like Canada"
    • May 28, 2025
  • MAVI and Earl Sweatshirt join forces for refreshing new offering "Landgrab" [Video]
    • May 28, 2025
  • LAGOS IN PARIS
    LAGOS IN PARIS find stillness in the storm with “SINATANALE” [Music Video]
    • May 28, 2025
  • Ananya
    ANANYA delivers a poetic grace in new video for ‘LONG JUMP’
    • May 28, 2025
  • Gina Zo shares shimmery dream girl’s song of the summer Dirty Habits [Video]
    • May 28, 2025
Recent Scoops
  • Matt Oakley is redefining country music with heart, soul and modernity
    • May 5, 2025
  • Texas’ Blacktop Mojo does rock music the way it should be done
    • April 29, 2025
  • Tha Rapper Haiti blends authentic style with musical passion
    • April 28, 2025
  • Glorybots redefines rock with latest album 'mad.end'
    • April 10, 2025
Community Voices
  • From Machismo To Mujeres: Women As The Face Of Reggaeton
    • July 14, 2022
  • Tyler the creator
    4 things I learned on the 'Call Me If You Get Lost' tour
    • March 31, 2022
  • 4 things every artist needs to think about in 2022
    • January 27, 2022
  • The TikTok Takeover of Hip-Hop
    • January 11, 2022

EARMILK EARMILK
  • Jobs
  • About EARMILK
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Music
All Milk. No Duds.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.