Project Description
DR. DRE Orchestral Rendition
@ Max Watts
24/05/19
(Live Review)
Reviewer: Chantelle Angileri
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It’s not everyday you get the opportunity to watch the iconic tunes originally produced by the one and only Dr. Dre, certainly not in Sydney anyway. As soon as I came across An Orchestral Rendition of Dr. Dre: 2001 at Max Watts, Sydney, I knew I had to be there to witness an event that was solely dedicated to the tunes of hip hop that shook the world during the 1990’s and early 2000’s. Dr. Dre changed the world with his solo debut The Chronic released in 1992. An album that not only shook the core of music lovers from around the globe, yet also rebuilt the expectations of hip hop and the ability of artists and their creations. After releasing his 2001 album, he once again out did himself proving his ongoing success and ability to deliver only some of the most influential tracks of all time. Dre is considered the benchmark to a plethora of musicians of all genres and his albums continuously impact the lives of listeners even 20 to 30 years later. What I loved about last nights Orchestral Rendition of Dre’s music was that it stayed true to the impact his tunes have had on all of us. To put it simply… It was a venue filled with talented musicians, vocalists and a kick ass crowd filled with some killer dance moves, enthusiasm and a love for Dr. Dre’s best beats. Max Watts was a great choice of venue allowing attendees to choose from the dance floor or an upstairs view of the stage as we watched, danced and soaked up the musical talent that filled the room.
Kicking off the night was DJ Nicole and she dropped tunes that had everyone moving. It felt like a celebration and when the DJ tells you to “drink up, dance up, let’s make it a party”… you know you’re about to party. It was time for the band to take their place and begin this Dr. Dre journey and what I loved about this entrance was that it was a complete build up of talent. Starting off the night with the track Forgot About Dre as a string trio began the captivating melody, followed by keyboardist, drummer, bassist, guitarist and a horn trio that added an extra level of depth to the entire performance. Watching these musicians individually contribute to the famous tune was enlightening as it introduced every layer to this legendary track. While I thought the instrumentals were enough and did nothing but embrace each song to its maximum, the vocals added a little more enthusiasm. At times, vocals were unnecessary as the band accomplished exactly what they needed to, in saying that, every vocalist on stage nailed it and paid the tracks what they deserved. One of the vocalists stated “we’re all here to celebrate Dre”. My favourite words from the entire night without a doubt. It truly captured the energy in that room and was exactly what everyone was thinking. Musicians, singers, and every person swaying to those bad ass beats.
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There was this underground feeling about the event. Even though, sure, it was Max Watts, clearly not discreet, but it felt like there was something unknown about it to the public. Without even really knowing the names of each musician and vocalist on that stage, it didn’t take away from what they were delivering to us. If anyone it amplified it and made it that little more special and little less mainstream. It was as though only those who truly wanted to be there for that experience, were in that room. It wasn’t over crowded and it left a perfect amount of space for everyone to get their groove on.
The orchestra continued to play some of Dre’s best tracks including Still D.R.E, Housewife, The Watcher as well as taking it back to where it all began with N.W.A’s track Gangsta Gangsta. During the second set, the orchestra decided to break up the beats by Dre and mix it up with some well chosen tracks that brought us back to the original vibes of hip hop, rap, rnb, including one of my personal highlights Let Me Blow Your Mind by Eve ft. Gwen Stefani. A track that totally shined and had everyone grinding.
The night was a true reflection of what Sydney needs. It’s what we want as music lovers. And as we watch the music scene tragically deteriorate in this city, this event added a bit of hope and took us way back to a time where it was all about creation, appreciation and innovation. If you missed this opportunity to check out this one off experience… here’s hoping there’s another.
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