Review: Black Tiger Sex Machine at 9:30 Club
Upon being informed that Black Tiger Sex Machine, popularly known by their more safe for work acronym, BTSM, would be making a stop at Washington DC’s very own 9:30 Club, I knew it was a show that I absolutely could not miss. Black Tiger Sex Machine is an electronic dance music trio from Montreal. One of the most unique and striking aspects of this trio’s live show is their production. All three members have their own custom-made but identical “tiger” head with visuals and lighting modes synced with the music and the lighting is controlled by the band as they play.
Photo courtesy of BTSM.
With support from Lektrique, Al Ross and Kai Wachi, the crowd was overflowing with bass music enthusiasts. Pashminas and the merch of various dubstep legends were scattered throughout the crowd as everyone got to know their neighbors and make new friends. BTSM commanded the stage with ominous and futuristic visuals and chanted out their name to all the fans before swiftly taking the stage. Opening with “Replicants feat. Apashe,” a track off of their debut album, “New Worlds,” the crowd roared back absolutely captivated by their sound. Through superb mixing, it was as if BTSM told the story of a whole other world with the help of their alluring production and visuals. Though the set was primarily aggressive, deep dubstep, they flawlessly mixed in a few electro-house tracks to rile the crowd up even more before phasing back into well known dubstep tracks. They closed out their set with an ode to the iconic dubstep moshpit, a hardcore and heavy but fitting end to the evening.