“So here we are,” Dan Black declared, a devious smile curling his lips upward, “…Finally together.”
The crowd erupted at this and I found myself flabbergasted as I watched all of these bodies, moving in abandon to the synth-pop noise that was being created on-stage. Am I really in Silverlake? I wondered. Did the impossible happen? Did a musician actually manage to rustle these hipsters out of their ambivalent, removed cool and into a dancing frenzy? As I witnessed skinny boys shimmying out of their warm flannels and messy-haired girls shaking off their expensive leather jackets I realized that it was true.

Of course, I reflected on all of this later on because at that particular moment I was similarly occupied, whipping off my cardigan and haphazardly shoving it into my purse as I shimmied to his electronic beats.

Dan Black was the best show that I have seen so far this year. Before attending the show, I had only heard a couple of the singles that have been floating around on KROQ (who was so generous as to sponsor the event and sell tickets for $1.06). However, when I saw Dan Black and his backing band approach the stage, their faces adorned with metallic war paint, I had a feeling that I wouldn’t regret attend.

Even the accessible and charismatic Dan Black seemed to be moved by the aura that the crowd emanated, he chatted amicably in between songs and professed us to be the best audience in California. With his debut solo album ((un)) just recently released last year, Dan Black brought a liveliness to Spaceland on Wednesday that has been sorely lacking in Los Angeles’ electronica scene. We can only hope that his talent will raise the bar and motivate local musicians to put on more impassioned, energetic performances. Upon leaving, I found myself furiously texting my friends telling them to purchase his album, all the while knowing that, while it may be impressive, it would be nothing compared to the glittery-eyed man who had boogied mere feet from me onstage that night.