Combine “on the fly” vocals with elements of dubstep and you have the three-man act of Royal Sound System from Cincinnati and Dayton.
Royal Sound System is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. Friday at Beet the System at Ruby Tuesday, located at 1978 Summit St.
The Columbus show will be somewhat of a reunion for the group, which hasn’t played together in a year. It is also the band’s first show in Columbus.
“What sold me honestly is that we haven’t played together in a while,” said DJ Elton Mack. “Another thing is that we have never played Columbus before.”
The trio offers a different show every time it plays, especially from the MC’s standpoint.
“Each performance is a totally unique show, at least vocally, because 90 percent of my stuff is freestyle,” said MC Firecat451, whose real name is Will Ellis.
Ellis said his inspiration comes from his surroundings.
“I just try to take what is in front of me and convert it into lyrics, and on the fly make that into a song if possible,” Ellis said.
Royal Sound System brings several elements of dubstep to its show from the original style to more high-energy, bass-heavy songs.
“The thing that I really like about it is that (the show) incorporates a lot of elements, so you are not just serving the crowd one dish, they are getting a lot of different flavors,” said DJ Kurt Heer.
The group starts with a low tempo style of dubstep, and then increases its tempo to amp up the energy.
“All the energy builds up until we get to the changeover point, then it becomes (a) bit more of a party atmosphere,” Ellis said.
Ellis said Royal Sound System hopes to create a concert feel at its shows.
“We try to make the show more like a concert than you standing in the audience looking up at a DJ pushing buttons and spinning records,” Ellis said. “We try to make it more of an interactive thing.”
The group formed when the late Stuart Allen, who died of heart complications last year, booked Mack and Heer to do a show together. Ellis joined the duo after they performed together a few times.
“We got up there and smashed it for like two hours, the crowd was going nuts,” Mack said. “I hit up Kurt and was like, we need to add Firecat into this equation, and it’s like a perfect mesh.”
Royal Sound System plays on four turntables and two DJ mixers, which are plugged into a digital interface program, which allows them to play MP3 or WAV files.
“There is usually a larger aspect that you can do with the digital,” Heer said.
Tickets for Beet the System are $5 the day of the show and it is 18 and up.
“If you like dubstep, there is no way that you are going to sit there and not dance,” Mack said.
