When I first saw Natalie Horler perform at the Royale, I couldn't quite grasp Cascada's place in the club and EDM (electronic dance music) culture. When YouTube more often shows Cascada live performances from Europe, I was in awe that this icon was coming to the Royale. ... Yes, I know about how the Royale used to have a mega-party reputation when under the "Roxy" brand. Weird as it may sound, I was in my late 30's when I first started exploring the late night club scene. Through iPods, desktop computers, analog radios, I was more familiar with tapping into the energy of club mixes as a private moment of exhilaration. It enlivens a night in, or puts some extra bounce into a workout. Cascada's music draw me out to experience this live collective vibe first hand.
Aside from knowing that the doors didn't open until 10, I didn't know what to expect other than Cascada's hit singles. There were lasers, strobe lights, a collage of day-glo colors running across the spectrum. Even without the help enhancing substances, It felt like I was on a psychedelic Mount Olympus. After two hours of DJ's working up the crowd with live mixing, Natalie Horler took the stage. Clad in sheer fabric, sequins, rhinestones, and a corset, she is genre queen while connecting directly with the audience. That psychedelic Olympus has its Hera, Aphrodite, and Dionysus all manifested in one German-English demigoddess. Her set was short but outstanding. Having seen all three members of Aqua perform at the House of Blues Boston, I was wondering if DJ's Manuel "Manian" Reuter and Yann "Yanou" Peifer mixed the music ahead of tours and sent Horler out as the public face of the Cascada trio.
That following spring, I got wind of Cascada returning to Boston. The weekend of my birthday. The show was again going to be at the Royale, and with Horler scheduled to take the stage at midnight. I had to cut back on my exploring The after-Midnight Royale scene when the MBTA stopped offering late night public transit service. My solution was a birthday gift to myself in the form of a night in the Theater District's Moxy Hotel. I felt like a rock star with indulging in the up-leveled steak & cheese sandwich with a brownie sundae, Whole Foods breakfast with a tremendous view, late night concert down the street, and writing a blog while in my a room combining industrial and mid-20th century design. Horler gave a perfect performance and started talking about her new album. Within these set lengths of roughly an hour, Natalie usually sticks with the biggest hits, sometimes performing a song twice to get the audience more involved on the second time around. I wasn't quite sure what the "Studio 24" album would bring but I came back up Tremont street that night with such satisfaction. Even if the Celtics had just lost game 4 of the NBA Finals.
Would you believe my surprise when I saw that Cascada was coming back to Boston in December 2024? This time, there was a different setting. Instead of the Royale, the House of Blues was hosting. Instead of a 10 o'clock start on Tremont Street, it was a 7 o'clock start on Yawkey Way. Nothing against the venue management groups, there are differences between the settings. The House of Blues doesn't have the nightlife grandeur of the Royale's ballroom, but does what it can with lighting and a big mirror ball. Both have the multi-level space to help shape the ambience of the party atmosphere.
The energy of the room isn't quite on the subversive jubilee level of something that would roll on through midnight. Some people were trying to act like it (some with blissful celebration and others with drunken rudeness). Bowling for Soup sings that high school never ends, and the pre-9 o'clock DJ set reminded me of Fridays as a teenager. LOL My high school music preferences sort of fit with this vibe. Moby's "Play" album, the Vengaboys, Darude's "After the Storm", and a sampling of J-Pop. If only YouTube existed back then. I may have had access to early 2000's singles by Roxette, Nena, and Kim Wilde.
With a rhinestone mic and a costume of metal armadillo-like chrome plating, Natalie Horler came out. Leading the crowd into a deeper state of partying. Like Kim Sasabone of the Vengaboys, Horler is a combination of singer, cruise ship activities director, and an aerobics instructor. During every show, both women dedicate themselves to encouraging each person to dance and enjoy themselves This creates a dynamic where performer and audience are building the ebullience in that space, feeding off each other's heightened vibes, and exponentially building the atmosphere up further. In the middle of all the familiar hits, Natalie started talking about "Studio 24". How the creation of the new album involved the collaboration with several DJ's. That's when I realized that Yanou and Manian had were out of the picture, and that "Cascada" is now Horler alone. As an offering from the 2024 album, Cascada performed a remix of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "Aint' No Mountain High Enough". I get that it's the first single from the album, but the more I hear of Cascada's new material, I wish she was singing... Her cover of Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way". Cascada's 2024 tribute to New York's Studio 54 has covers sourced from a wide range of sources. Whether it be American disco royalty, Blondie, the Supremes, or Gordon Lightfoot (interpreted through the lens of a 1998 remix). Add in some original tracks toward the end. With how often Cascada tours, "Studio 24" as an album could greatly benefit from more representation. "Studio 2024" isn't thoroughly a great album from beginning to end, but there are songs without potential. I feel that the downside is often in the songwriting. For most of the trackless, you're listening to great covers which sometimes distinguish themselves more as remixes. Cascada's album starts trailing off with the new material toward the end. The song "Murder" (about a heartbreaker) shows some promise, but the original tracks never succeed in shining with that infectious dance club energy. "Monday morning quarterbacking" (yes, on a Monday morning), I was trying to figure out how Horler could've rallied in the fourth quarter. My idea involves a nonbinary comic book writer with a proven ability to write music with an an intoxicating energy. Grant Morrison. I would want Grant, Natalie, and her producer to visit the theater currently inhabiting Studio 54's place on Broadway. I have faith that Morrison would be able create fresh new compositions evoking the residual vibes of the 70's club, and Natalie Horler could write contemporary lyrics. The result would have a freshness that isn't quite felt when Natalie sings new lyrics while sampling from Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me".
Cascada concerts are always a load of fun, and that's deeply to Natalie Horler's credit. Now more than ever. I can't wait for her next trip to Boston. When the setlists can generally get routine, but it's the experiences and context of each Cascada show that give each concert experience it's own shade of awesome. In that way, I would compare it to a concert by some act in the Grateful Dead diaspora (with or without original members) the music and culture is the constant, while individuals' experiences and context are the variables creating distinct character of that shared moment. For now, I will probably start following Cascada's YouTube channel as well. A closer look at her touring may reveal strong performances for those lesser known tracks. It's these personal discoveries that inspire a lot of my writing, and I consider it an honor to connect my readership with music, artists, and other fans. I hope that you enjoy Cascada's new songs just as much as you do with "Everytime We Touch" and "Pyromania".
Til next time!
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