Rob Garza (DJ Set)

Rifftop Tent, Victoria BC, September 14

Photo: Kim Jay

BY Ashley HampsonPublished Sep 15, 2013

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Well before Rob Garza's set time, the Rifftop tent swelled with people eager to see one half of revered DJ duo Thievery Corporation. Swigging from a half-empty 26, Garza jumped right in, working an ethereal start with a slick drop. The few sound glitches that plagued the set early on seemed to go largely unnoticed by the crowd, the feedback quickly caught by Garza and played off as part of the mix. One easily got the sense half the crowd was there out of loyalty to Thievery, but fell in love all the same — Garza's sets are an epic stray from Thievery, but his onstage charm and beat-heavy, funk-laden mixes are hard to ignore. People spilled from the confines of the tent, using the extra space to get more creative with their dancing and "experience" the music (this is Victoria, after all). The unexpected surprise? A single drop halfway through the set that moved more than half the crowd to jump, arms raised, while a beaming Garza encouraged them from onstage.

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