Generation Wild: Deniz Koyu and Danny Avila provide fans with identity at Webster Hall
They’re not the Baby Boomers and they don’t comfortably fit between Generation Y and Generation X. They’re not listening to classic rock, old-school hip-hop, or boy band pop. The next generation of music fans are listening to electronic dance music. Without a label, however, they are in search of an identity to call their own. This winter, a group of DJs and a nightlife photographer set out to attach that label and, in many ways, have brought the ‘wild’ out of their generation. The DJs? Deniz Koyu, Danny Avila, dBerrie, and Mikael Weermets. The photographer? Kirill Bichutsky. The movement? Generation Wild.
Making their stop at New York City’s Webster Hall, Koyu and Co. put on a clinic for the generation they’ve dubbed “Wild.” Separating these fans from musical generations past, the team of party-provoking stars didn’t provide a concert — they provided an absurd identity for a generation in search of distinction.
Weermets and Berrie served up sets intended to warm up the already heated crowd. From Weermets to dBerrie, the temperature went from hot to blazing, but when Deniz took the decks the crowd erupted into flames.
Maybe it was his sheer presence, or maybe it was his opening track, the highly anticipated, aptly titled “Rage.” “R-A-G-E” served as the introduction to the generation’s soundtrack as Koyu continued his four-letter domination with “B-O-N-G,” “H-A-L-O,” and “T-U-N-G” for the cause of “W-I-L-D.”
Dirty South & Deniz Koyu – Halo (Original Mix)
His nearly two-hour set was packed with other tunes that had more than four letters and evoked the same response. Memorable drops for fans to take home included recent releases such as Jewelz Scott & Scott Sparks’s “Nymsn” and W&W’s “The Code,” along with the future releases of Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike’s “Mammoth” and GTA, Henrix, and Digital Lab’s “Hit It.”
GTA, Henrix, Digital Lab – Hit It (Original Mix)
Koyu also moved to some more dated tunes that made the cut for his developing generation — anthems “Antitdote” and “Maximal Crazy,” for starters. Nearing 2am, the crowd was in no way, shape or form ready to let Koyu walk. Fans began sitting on shoulders, climbing balconies, and somehow even finding their way on stage. His set was nearing its pyro-amplified finale, while the young Danny Avila loomed backstage suffocated by female admirers. Witnessing this for myself, I can safely say the Justin Bieber comparison is no hyperbole.
Avila took the baton from Deniz and went off to the races with his original banger, “Breaking Your Fall.” The stage became flooded with fans — mostly females — setting the stage for Kirill to work his (dark) magic. Within moments, Generation Wild went from concert to an all around spectacle. As Kirill gave endless champagne facials, the front row overflowed as young coeds continually threw themselves at the sloppy debacle on-stage.
Danny Avila – Breaking Your Fall (Original Mix)
There was no shortage of amusements for the senses to behold, and they didn’t end at the music or lights. Many had a field day just gawking and screaming at the under-dressed girls basking in showers of alcohol and 15 minutes of fame. Danny provided the backdrop for what had gone from rave, to frat party, to spring break affair. First he bounced through electro; dropping Hard Rock Sofa & Swanky Tunes’ “Chemistry,” Tommy Trash’s “Cascade,” and Laidback Luke’s “1234.”
He next took a moment to himself, experimenting with ten minutes of trap; RL Grime’s takes of “Mercy” and “Satisfaction,” garnished by an edit of “N*ggas In Paris.” After closing out with a variety of popular selections, Deniz joined him behind the decks — but not before shaking loose his own flock of female fanatics. They might not call him Justin Bieber, but he received the Avila-treatment from girls drenched in champagne, beer and sweat.
Hard Rock Sofa & Swanky Tunes – Chemistry (Turn The Flame Higher)
In tandem for their back-to-back set at 4am, Deniz and Danny realized they had created a monster. After providing their generation with the label “Wild” — and the experience to go with it, fans took their recklessness to the next level. Not one crowd-goer had their sights locked on the booth, or ears completely tuned into the sounds — they were everywhere at once. With the stage flooded with fans (and champagne), by the time dBerrie joined the party for a back-to-back-to-back set, it was as if they were partying with the crowd, not for them. This was the era that the traveling band of party-starters had produced. This was Generation Wild.
Categories: Music