Fake Blood Massacres Grand Central Miami, August 11

Photo by Daniel De Las Casas

See the full 36-photo slideshow of Fake Blood at Grand Central.

Fake Blood
With Damaged Goods and Mike Deuce
Grand Central, Miami
Saturday, August 11, 2012

Better Than: Parties with the Manson family.

Not everything that's hard is dubstep. And just because it's dark, doesn't mean it can't be funky.

England's Fake Blood (AKA Theo Keating), veteran icon of the EDM scene, provided a shit-ton of proof of these facts with his set at Grand Central.

Over the course of an hour and a half, he took the crowd on a speed-walk through the valley of the shadow of bass and filter house.

It was bloody. But it was good.

Photo by Daniel De Las Casas

Before the massacre, Mike Deuce controlled the ones and twos. The heads filed into the club and made their way to the bar and then the dance floor. He warmed them up with some classic electro beats and bangers, sounds from the time when Fake Blood first made his mark on the scene.

As Deuce increased the intensity, more and more partiers started to let loose. Everyone was getting primed and ready for the main event. And by 1:40 a.m., the time had come.

Photo by Daniel De Las Casas

The slim, bare-headed man known by the name Fake Blood got into position and ripped right into some heavy, funky drops. He tossed off tracks filled with robot voices and heavy filter melodies. Basic and fuzzy and loud.

Behind him, Grand Central's giant screen flashed his name large and dripping in red goo. The scene was slightly menacing, but everyone had a smile on their face. People got live, drink after drink, dancing on the couches and throwing their hands in the air, even without being prompted by the DJ.

Photo by Daniel De Las Casas

Fake Blood isn't one of those ultimate-showmen, hands-up-in-the-air, Jesus-Christ-pose type of megastars. He never grabbed the mike or left the booth. He never stage-dived. He never threw any food stuffs into the crowd. He doesn't need gimmicks because his tracks are hot and his skills are mad, and he's too busy mixing his ass off to peacock around the stage.

And his set wasn't heavy with classic bangers or obvious selections. He didn't play into hip genres like dubstep, moombahton, or trap. He kept his mix seamless, underground, and true to his own style.