Infected Mushroom at Sutra, April 5, 2012

Shannon Nehls

Opening DJs Mehdi and Menikmati set the mood with their high energy sets as the club filled with Infected Mushroom fans and Orange County club goers. Early on, guests were bobbing their heads enjoying the music and the scene as they awaited the main act of the show. Menikmati really stole the show as he played all our favorites (such as a sick Gotye remix) and some Daft Punk to get the party started. At one point a "cute girl" (as he said through the microphone) unplugged one of the speakers, but the crowd kept raging.

Sutra was different this evening. The usual sexy go-go dancers and the foamy glow sticks (which I sometimes get tired of but have gotten so used to) were both missing. Instead the club was very dimly lit and fog filled the room. It felt like we were in a old grungy warehouse party. Fitting for Duvdev and Erez as they took center stage a little past midnight.

Insomniac Events CEO, Pasquale Rotella was in the house hanging out in the VIP. As soon as Infected Mushroom got on decks he came over to shake their hands and say "Hello." Is it possible that we could be looking to see Infected Mushroom at Electric Daisy Carnival again this year? After all, this year has harder acts on the bill, as the infamous Q-dance stage makes its way to America for the first time at EDC Las Vegas.

Infected Mushroom brought an insane amount of energy into their DJ set which featured mostly only their own produced tracks. The crowd got wild as they played their well-known songs while lasers and colorful lights changed with the music. Their eerie older songs like "Saeed" and "Muse Breaks" had fans waiving their Israeli flags and getting crazy on the dance floor. When they finally played "Becoming Insane" I lost it and got wild on top of a DJ speaker too. Even though I didn't know all of their music it was a good change of pace from the same top 10 beatport songs and radio songs I hear at every club nowadays.

Shannon Nehls

Critics Bias: I liked how they kept true to their music and played mostly only their own produced tracks even if the crowd didn't know them at times.  

The Crowd: Was interesting and a mix of die-hard Infected Mushroom fans, hard-style lovers, and then the typical club rats and lovely familiar faces you see out and about in Orange County.

Overheard in the Crowd: "I don't think OC was ready for Infected Mushroom." Maybe not, but kudos for bringing acts that aren't so mainstream and still put on a sick show.

Random Notebook Dump: They did play a remix of Skrillex's "Breaking a Sweat" that I enjoyed. Could it be that dubstep is really taking over and here to stay?