At 10 p.m. Friday, Republic New Orleans became a microcosm of all things electronic dance music as Yultron and Getter put on a show unapologetically reaching the five-hour-long mark. Those in the venue were in for a party.

To start off Getter’s New Orleans stop on his Wat the Frick? tour, host Nick Colletti prepped the crowd. Familiar songs from artists ranging from Kendrick Lamar to The Backstreet Boys were in the spotlight, transforming into pulsing, guttural dubstep remixes of their former selves.

After about an hour of opening disc jockeys, the venue started filling up even more so than before. The crowd squeezed in together in time for Yultron to make his first appearance in New Orleans.

In addition to continuing the trend of nods to popular contemporary music and playing some of his older, cult classic tracks, the Los Angeles musician showcased some recent original work from his “Sushi, Friends & Everything Awesome” EP. Towards the end of his hour-long set, Yultron capitalized upon the buildup of excitement for the main event by teasing an unnamed work in progress.

Soon after, every light in the room was turned off and the sound of electronic music that had been shaking the venue’s floors and walls gave way to the screams of the crowd as the realization that the show was really beginning sank in. Getter’s 2016 single, “Rip N Dip” served as an apt introduction to his set. Rising synth pads and drum fills built up to drown out the crowd’s yells and cheers once again. 

The building came alive as the music picked up. From the balcony section, the venue’s chandeliers featured diffusing colors in all directions when hit by the lights. The attendees wearing EDM gloves with LED fingertips lent a hand to the visual flamboyance of the show.

Though the balcony section was far less crowded than the area below, the floor still shook and dipped as the music roared and the crowd jumped. From the start of the show there wasn’t a moment of silence. By around 2 a.m., Getter had only gotten through the first half-hour or so of his set. At this point, he brought out New Orleans rap duo $UICIDEBOY$ to share the stage for a surprise live appearance.

After performing a couple of songs with Getter handling its backing music, $UICIDEBOY$ hopped down from the main riser and approached the audience. One member of the duo, who goes by the name Slick $loth, along with many other highly thematic aliases, stood center stage and yelled at the crowd over the introduction to the next song. Like Moses parting the Red Sea, Slick $loth barked at the crowd and the left and right halves of the audience separated. 

“When the beat drops, I want you all to beat down the other side of the room,” Slick $loth said.

Strobes of white light flickered on and off as the shrill buildup of sound continued and the opposing sides of the crowd flailed more and more anxiously. For a split second, right as the buildup halted, and just before the song kicked back in, there was a silent adrenaline rush flowing through the room. The two halves of the floor level crowd crashed back together as Slick $loth had commanded.

Once the mosh pit settled a bit and $UICIDEBOY$ retired from the stage, Getter took back the spotlight and the train kept rolling. After a while, the music subsided from a deafening decibel count to a comparatively quiet, shout-to-hear-yourself level. Getter grabbed a nearby mic and announced that, unfortunately, the party would soon wind down. 

“We’re only here for another hour, so let’s go out hard, New Orleans!” Getter said.

Despite the time pushing 2:30 a.m., the crowd did not lose steam, nor did Getter. The show thrashed along, and by the time the mass of people exited the building, the area surrounding Republic was as loud as it was inside. Shouts of excitement and residual hype resounded through the street.

After five hours of headbanging and arm-waving within a sea of people fueled by visceral, raging energy and loud electronic music, Republic and Getter’s show had made a family out of a bunch of EDM-loving strangers.