I’ve been a fan of Adelaide-based hip hop artist Koolta for many years now, so when he invited me to check out his new project Daydream Fever (6 August), I had no hesitation accepting the invitation.
I had no expectations for the evening, other than a good night with good music. Upon arrival I instantly felt a very chilled, relaxing vibe. The Jade provided the perfect location. My brother and I grabbed a drink from the bar and then proceeded to the entertainment room.
You could feel the excitement instantly and shortly after entering, the first performer of the evening, Jesse Francis, kicked off proceedings. Jesse is someone I wasn’t particularly familiar with, however I had heard a taste of his abilities on 'You', a track from Koolta’s current release, 'Revolutions Per Minute'. Jesse was captivating from his first guitar strum. He had the most incredible voice, reminiscent of artists I have enjoyed for years including Eddie Vedder and Ben Harper. His songwriting abilities were that of a seasoned performer, succinct and emotional. He set the tone for the evening; a perfect opening act.
That being said, he could easily have been the headline act. After a brief intermission, Renee Pounsett kicked off her set. The first thing I noticed was her incredible voice. In line with the evening and venue, she was very mellow and chilled in her performance. She sat at the mic throughout the performance, singing to some nicely produced backing tracks. Her set consisted of a mix of both original songs and some carefully constructed cover versions which included Rihanna and Drake. For me, I think her rendition of Drake’s 'Hot Line Bling' was a definite highlight. I’d love to see her perform with a live keyboardist or live band to really set off her incredible voice.
Another brief intermission and Daydream Fever took to the stage. My first thoughts were this isn’t a lot different to Koolta. However, I soon realised how wrong I was. While Daydream Fever still heavily features Koolta’s trademark rhymes, sonically it was so much more. He still incorporated his heavy drums and phat basslines, but musically he transcends genres. DDF has in my opinion, almost created his own genre.
Jesse Francis featured on a couple of songs, which further showed his incredible abilities, while Koolta further pushed his own boundaries with more singing/ melodic vocals. Adding to the live dynamic, he also incorporated some incredible live drumming. As I have come to expect from Koolta, his stage presence and crowd interaction were on point. He always brings so much energy to the stage, and I will definitely be looking forward to hearing Daydream Fever again.
At the conclusion, the night was finished off by DJ Peg. Overall it was an awesome night. The vibe in the room was positive and all the performers were engaging.
8.5/10
