Disclosure @ Union Transfer.

Text and image by Reagan Copeland.

I experienced some sibling envy last night at Disclosure’s Philly debut at Union Transfer.

The English DJ duo, consisting of brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence, came to treat an excited crowd to chill singles from their 2012 EP The Face, as well as debut some new tracks. These young artists (both under age 21) are unquestionably gifted. Their explosive live set was a very funky way to set off a Tuesday night.

Disclosure presents sophisticated, stripped-down tracks modeled on classic UK garage and classic Chicago house from the 90s. You hear the melded influence they inherit from both newer dubstep acts and classic underground garage. What separates Disclosure from other purely referential throwback acts is 1). their attention to innovation in mixing, and 2). their impressive live act. The guys mix their minimal 4×4 beats with a refreshing dose of live talent, including a guitar, drumpad, and full live percussion setup. Dancing is obligatory. They also played with breakbeats.

If I could get these guys in bare room and hear them play with turntables, I think I might die and go to heaven.

Since Disclosure recently released their mix of the single “Running” by UK soul singer Jessie Ware (who treated us to another knock-out set at Union Transfer in January), the hype for Disclosure has grown. It’s well deserved. The boys got onstage and down to business, ripping into their track “Infected” with a classic dose of bass that lasted throughout the set. The crowd was dancing as if its life depended on it from the second the lights went up.

The brothers Lawrence cycled through tracks newer and older with little chit chat. It was all business, despite this being the guys’ first time in Philly. We showed a lot of love and fortunately weren’t subjected to the traditional banter about cheesesteaks, sports teams or Ben Franklin (call me a drag but I’m over that). A mid-size venue like UT can be a proving ground, and these guys owned it.

The crowd-wide dance-off picked up early on when Disclosure played “White Noise” (featuring that awesomely demure sample from AlunaGeorge). I’m pretty sure I saw a guy doing the Electric Slide. There are EDM shows where people bob and shuffle, and then there are EDM shows where the act challenges the crowd to commit. There’s a real energy transference that comes off the stage and into the fans.

Later, a crowd favorite, “What’s In Your Head,” had everyone vogueing to sex-charged moaning samples and deep green pulsing lights. The encore was surprisingly emotional. We heard a new debut track drawn out over a slow, overwhelming bassline with soulful vocals. The guys closed down the night with their single “Latch” (featuring sample vocals by London’s fresh face Sam Smith; think Maxwell with an axe to grind), which practically had joy-tears streaming down our faces as the falsetto vocals sliced through the space.

It’s always such a pleasure to see energetic new talent blowing up, and Disclosure is sure to earn every ounce of recognition they get in 2013. I have the good fortune of following Disclosure to DC this weekend, where the boys will, no doubt, destroy the floor at U Street Music Hall. Which is fortunate for me because one night of these brothers in the City of Brotherly Love was not enough.