Stop Hatin’! We know you’re Losin’ It!
April 15th, 2018: My best friend sent me an Instagram video of a DJ at Coachella. “You need to see this guy, he’s fucking hilarious” my friend commented. Intrigued, I hit play. At the site of the Do LaB stage, I watched the DJ, bearded and in a baseball cap, as he exuberantly pumped up the crowd. As the beat dropped, he turned the camera and nonchalantly began to give a flick of the wrist to the bass. He’s loving it, ecstatic at the energy of the crowd, smiling cheekily. And the crowd, true to the vocal hook of what would become that summer’s hottest track, were truly “Losing It”.
Before his Coachella set, Paul Fisher had already established himself as an artist to watch. Following a successful pro surfing career, the Australian had begun a career in music under the stage name FISHER, releasing his debut single “Ya Kidding” under the Dirtybird Label in 2017. After the release of his EP “Oi Oi” later that year, Fisher was starting to turn several heads in the Tech-House community. But it wasn’t until that fateful Instagram clip, showcasing that nasty track that hundreds of thousands of people begged an ID for, that he truly exploded onto the scene. And the ripples were felt everywhere in the rave community.
June 13th, 2018: Tickets for Fisher on August 3rd at Coda in Toronto, Canada, went on sale. Within a few hours of the announcement, all tickets sold out completely. The Facebook event page was littered with desperate fans mystified at how quickly the tickets disappeared, begging anyone who might be selling extras. My friend and I were discouraged, but not defeated. We’re not about to lose a chance at seeing this crazy Australian DJ, and we had a plan.
We bided our time. As we waited, the much sought after track from the Instagram video was finally released on July 15th. Within 48 hours, “Losing It” rockets up to the Number 1 spot on Beatport, and many fans breathed a collective sigh of relief knowing that they finally had a crystal clear recording of the track to listen to.
August 3rd, 2018, 6 PM: My best friend and I went to the area around Coda four hours before doors were due to open. We brought our wallets, a portable speaker, and some cigarettes. There were two lone people hanging outside the entrance to the club, and we felt a little bit better knowing we weren’t the first, but also happy that there wasn’t already a line. We went for a leisurely dinner, and by the time we came back… the number of people at front of the club had grown to five. We made new friends and turned on our speaker, grooving in an effort to pass the time. 30 minutes later, a line had already started to form behind us. By 9 P.M., it stretched down the street. The front of the line had turned into a mini-block party, and by the time we switched the track to “Losing It”, the entire line (or at least the part of the line who could hear our little speaker) was cheering, joining in on the hype train.
10 PM: The doors finally opened, and we streamed in, vibrating with excitement. We enjoyed the opener, but under the surface, we were anxious, tired of waiting. We were ready. And finally, he graced the stage to cheers that echoed off of the walls of the club. That crazy bastard, that high energy Aussie, proceeded to launch into one of the most electrifying sets I had ever seen. Fisher was a conduit for the crowds’ exciting, feeding off their intensity, giving it back to them, track after track after track. He seemed to genuinely enjoy being up there, grinning wickedly as he does his signature wrist flick in time to the music. And he cackled with glee as the entire crowd screams in unison ‘I’m Losing It!’, dancing along with everyone as the beat broke down. We finally left the club at 4 A.M., drenched in sweat, out of breath. My friend and I lit a cigarette, took a drag, looked at each other, and just started laughing. We were at a loss for words.
August 12th, 2019: Just shy of the one-year anniversary of the show at Coda, my best friend messaged me five words: “Fisher Nov. 1st at Rebel”. Tickets went on sale two days later, and while waiting for his computer on the site to go live, he managed to snag a pair for us. Rebel is the largest club that can be found in Toronto, boasting three separate rooms with different sounds, patios, and bottle service. The tickets didn’t sell out as fast as the show at Coda did, but that’s because Rebels’ main room boasts most than quadruple the capacity of Coda, holding 2,500 patrons as opposed to 550. Priceless tickets sold out, only in six days, as opposed to a couple of hours. That’s talent. That’s Fisher.
I’ll admit that I’ll be missing the packed intimacy of Coda once I step inside Rebel this Friday- with the 2,500 capacity reached, Fisher at Rebel will be, pun completely intended, a sardine can. But if it’s anything close to the last time I saw him, it will be worth it to dive into that crowd.
FISHER: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify | Beatport
