I've Found My New Favorite Video Series

There are few things more dangerous than falling down a YouTube wormhole. The worst (or best, depending on how you see it) part about them is how unpredictable they can be. It might last for a few hours, there may be a couple disappointed reactions to "You ARE the father!", or you might be able to plan your next water-themed getaway after discovering the top-ten slides in the world. After a Saturday brunch at a restaurant whose name I still don't know the name of, a couple of bowls were passed around for dessert and the opening of the YouTube Roku app ensued. One of the best series on YouTube is Kenny Beats' "The Cave", a show in which the producer brings on different artists to freestyle over a beat that he makes right then and there in his studio. My favorite episode features Zack Fox, an illustrator and comedian who has recently captured my attention. He's an insanely talented artist and wildly funny, and even though his appearance was originally intended as a joke (based on what I've read), it spawned a viral clip and a song titled "Jesus Is The One (I Got Depression)".

"Dude, if you've got a mental illness like, fuckin' turn up, dude, like, seriously, dude"

We naturally followed it with the Zack Fox and Kenny Beats breakdown of the song on Genius, and at the end, YouTube autoplayed a live DJ set performed by Kenny. I'd seen a bit of it before, but we decided to run it through. Kenny is one of the best producers in music right now so it's no surprise his set was awesome, but the video provided an incredible opportunity to people watch. The set was hosted by Boiler Room, a London-based "music broadcasting platform", in Atlanta and we discovered that they host similar sets in locations all over the world. Over the last three afternoons, Boiler Room has been a source of captivation and gifted new music from a vast array of artists and genres, and while some are a bit "What in the fuck am I watching?", there's always a set for every occasion.

Wix won't let me add some videos directly into the article, so if you just click on the following pictures it will open up the video in which it's from.

The first Boiler Room video we watched was "KENNY BEATS | BR x Places+Faces - Atlanta", a set that featured consistent gold, including "Foot Fungus" by Ski Mask The Slump God"; "Tia Tamera" by Doja Cat featuring Rico Nasty; "With Them" by Young Thug; and "Top" by Lil Uzi, amongst others. I still don't really have a clue as to how any of the DJ equipment works, but I do know that Kenny's transitions are extremely satisfying and watching him twist all the knobs and press random buttons is mesmerizing. They're not even random buttons, I just have zero idea as to what they do. Kenny brings energy to the set with the help of his 6'7" law enforcement frame, and while he's fun to watch perform, the concertgoers around him provide the real show. Some of them clearly hung out before the show with their friend Molly, but others are just being their everyday, unique selves having a great time. We've re-watched it a few times since finding it and every time you spot somebody new doing some either funny or wildly freaky. That's what makes it art, though, just a bunch of wild people being naughty on the dance floor. Although there are some anomalous folks during Kenny's set, it's actually the most normal crowd out of the other ones we've seen. If you don't have any interest in people watching but want a playlist to "go buck" to, run this through.

"Kaytranada Boiler Room Montreal DJ Set" is runner-up for my top Boiler Room video. I'd never heard of Kaytranada prior to this, but granted I don't really know that many DJs. This foray into these videos may very well change that. I wasn't sure what to expect from a concert in 2013 Montreal in what appears to be the basement of some venue, but the crowd certainly fits the bill. Within the first five minutes there's like four noteworthy interactions between members of the crowd, and only one person a the beginning appears to know that they're on camera. She stands out, very hard to miss. Green flat brim hat guy is definitely the creepiest of the bunch, and maybe of all the ones I've seen, as he gets rejected by three girls for being a flat-out weirdo. The unfortunate thing for him is that all of it is caught on camera right in the front. Does he not know they're being filmed? I feel like he has to, no way he just stumbled into some random set unless he was just a guest of Big Sweaty, another character who likes to move his heft to some groovy beats.

Here's another one that I really enjoyed. I don't have much commentary to add besides watch the people in the masks in the background, but Carl Cox had a smooth set; I even found a couple songs to add to a playlist.

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So, yeah. These have been a fun time-killer and people watching experiment, and have also helped fill up playlists, so if you have as much time as I seemingly do, give them a shot.

Just thought I'd spread the vibes, maaaaaaaaan.