HARLEM SHAKE SENSATION BAAUER TO TOUR AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND!
NYC club-killer Baauer aka Harry Rodrigues hasn’t been on the scene long – at just 23 he’s rapidly become the poster child of the contemporary US fusion of dance and rap music. With a stellar selection of remixes for the likes of No Doubt (Mad Decent) and Flosstradamus (Fools Gold) and, of course, the anthem that is ‘Harlem Shake’ (Jeffrey’s/Mad Decent) under his belt – he has established himself as a 2013 breakthrough artist.
In the last fortnight the viral video phenomenon that is the ‘Harlem Shake’ has been nothing short of mind-blowing. Five teenagers from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland uploaded the first video to YouTube on February 2nd, (yes, it started in our own backyard) and there have since been over 40,000 spin-offs with well over 180 million views! Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the cast of the TODAY show, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, this year’s Sports Illustrated swimsuit models and even a battalion of the Norwegian Army have all got in on the act!!! Our personal favorite has to be from the UGA Men’s Swim and Dive Team – now that’s commitment!
Videos, all no more than 30 seconds long, begin with one person (often helmeted or masked) dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds, surrounded by other people who are still, not paying attention or unaware of the dancing individual. As soon as “Do the Harlem Shake” and the bass drops, the video morphs into pandemonium with the entire crowd doing their own crazy convulsive dance. Unbridled, no-holes-barred mayhem ensues.
On the back of what can only be deemed the biggest internet craze in recent memory, ‘Harlem Shake’ is sitting pretty at #1 on the Itunes Singles Chart in a plethora of countries, including the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Virtually overnight Baauer has also seen a stupendous change in the crowd response to his live performances. From a recent Chicago show, he describes a scene involving “people dressed as Optimus Prime, a ram, and a goat, all going ape-shit.” While people always responded positively to ‘Harlem Shake’, now, he says, “It’s absolutely insane.” Baauer is touring exclusively with Archery Club in April/May for an extensive run of headline club shows across Australia and New Zealand. This is one tour you absolutely cannot miss!
Baauer New Zealand Tour
Saturday 27th April – Studio, Auckland
Wednesday 1st May – Bettys, Wellington
Tickets for Wellington on sale now from Undertheradar, Slow Boat Records and RPM.
