By: Kierstin Belden (@rlnovagirl)
If there is one positive thing that has come from the worldwide pandemic, it’s the evidence that people can come together during a time of crisis. Although live festivals and shows cannot occur right now, various groups in the music scene are organizing and hosting online events that give us something to look forward to on the weekends. On the last weekend of April, Trap Nation and Chill Nation streamed a three-day festival that featured sets from artists of all genres. During these sets, they raised over $135,000 for the Sweet Relief and Feeding America charities. Sweet Relief gives monetary assistance to musicians and other workers in the music industry, and Feeding America works to get food to those in need.
The two-channel setup gave Room Service a very realistic feel in terms of both set conflicts as well as the way in which stages are curated to appeal to a specific audience. Both Trap Nation and Chill Nation hosted on their Youtube channels rather than on Twitch or other mediums of broadcasting. The streaming quality was great and there were hardly any glitches (at least for me, which I’ve experienced often on other streams).
So many talented artists performed at Room Service, that it’s hard to say which sets were my favorites. However, there are some that I think stand out above the rest. On Day 1, Good Times Ahead had what I would describe as a bouncy, high energy set that combined moombahton, house, and bass. They both took the time to perform even though they aren’t in the same place right now. The second set that really caught my attention was Just A Gent. His performance was a good combination of heavy and chill music, which is everything that I look for in a music performance. Later in the night, I discovered how much that I loved Shallou’s vibes, which took me on an emotional journey.
Day 2 of Room Service featured sets from a lot of my favorite artists. My day started off with Memba, who I’ve had the pleasure of seeing live once before. I appreciate Memba for their unique worldly trap/bass sounds. While they started off the day on the Trap Nation stage, Oliver Heldens played the Chill Nation stage. Heldens’ set was unique in that he performed it on a boat on the waters of Amsterdam. My second favorite set of the day was from What So Not. He hasn’t been super active on social media lately, so I was happy that he graced us with a livestream set. He and his team took advantage of his wild sense of fashion to use his hoodie as a green screen to show scenes from popular movies such as Lord of the Rings and Saturday Night Fever. Following What So Not, Hex Cougar took over to promote the visuals of his debut EP, Under The Light Of A Dying Moon. Later in the night, EPROM won the day (and I’d even argue the weekend) with his set that was both an auditory as well as visual masterpiece.
When Day 3 of Room Service came, I felt as though I had truly attended a live festival. I was excited for the day but also pretty worn out from all of the dancing that I had done the previous two days. I’d have to say that my absolute favorite set to end the weekend was CloZee. She had a black light set up to highlight some posters and vases full of flowers. Like her sets in person, this one was full of good vibes and the multicultural music that she is known for.
Overall, I’d consider these online festivals to be a successful alternative to the ones that aren’t able to take place during this time. One thing that I hope will come from this is that collectives such as Trap Nation will continue to put on events that we are able to attend in person!