The reprisal of the Red Bull Symphonic collab between Camo & Krooked and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (Dir. Christian Kolonovits) in September of this year was hotly anticipated, and with good reason. D&B/symphony mashups have been popular for a number of years now, with OrchestRAM doing a number of gigs in London, as well as Fabio & Grooverider directing their own orchestras with the Outlook Orchestra, which is tied to the Outlook Festival. With 2020’s Red Bull Symphonic being a standoud among these shows in most drum and bass fans’ minds, nothing could have truly prepared the punters for what was in store at the 2025 Johann Strauss-themed installment.
Normally with these genre-straddling gigs, the artist or artists work with an orchestra and director to make classical ‘covers’ of D&B hits, and there’s a DJ booth somewhere pumping up the sound with the deep bass and digital melodies required to make it rave. In the case of Camo & Krooked, Kolonovits and the Konzerthaus, however, a new spanner was thrown into the works as the Vienna Symphony was celebrating the 200th anniversary of the life and career of Vienna’s hometown musical hero, Johann Strauss. The decision to incorporate Strauss’s works into the show seemed a no-brainer for the D&B producers and classical composer, but it was a challenge easier said than done.
Throughout the concert, Markus Wagner (the ‘Krooked’ in Camo & Krooked), took the microphone and told the audience how long it took the duo to make the arrangements with Kolonovits, some of which seamlessly transitioned famous Strauss arrangements like ‘Blue Danube’ into Camo & Krooked tracks like a DJ set. Others were full-on re-writes, such as ‘Numbers x Walking in the Vienna Woods’ where the arrangements were fully combined into one track. Wagner mentioned it being a grueling process, taking over 18 months to complete, concluding ‘just the day after yesterday’. Both Camo & Krooked and Kolonovits seemed to be thrilled with the result, however, and on the sold out concert dates, it was clear they were having as much fun as the audience.
So what did the show actually look like on 18 and 19 September? The lobbies of the Vienna Konzerthaus were probably the most casual they’ve ever looked, with D&B punters donning their freshest merch tees and hats, and classical fans in business casual, but not a top or tail was in sight and black tie was more than optional on this unique gig. Seats were arranged as they normally would be for an orchestral concert, and fans were uncertain of how rowdy they could get in the beautiful baroque building. They stayed politely in their seats until after the third song, Markus introduced the show and let the audience know, ‘we know there are signs telling you to stay seated, but in this case please get up and dance!’ After that, all levels of the famous symphony buliding buzzed not only with music but the energy of dancers cheering and singing along.
The production was massive, also unconventional and suited to both a rave crowd and classical audiences, with loads of surprises on top of the unexpected playbill. The visual show was on par with any rave, with a laser show projecting all over the space and complimenting the epic acoustics of the Vienna Konzerthaus. An LED screen behind the musicians also played a beautiul visual story, the apotheosis of which was the image of Strauss appearing to be forged in a digital space and, once completed, appeared to be plaiying violin along with the orchestra. If that wasn’t enough, a giant gold bust of Strauss was placed in front of the screen and lit up from within as part of the show.
It wasn’t just Camo, Krooked, Kolonovits and the orchestra playing either, though they were all playing their hearts out and it should be noted that C&K were not just DJing. They had full player pads in a box at the front of the stage and played a number of tracks live with the orchestra. Special guest singers Mira Lu Kovacs and EXEA added their own chilling performances to some of the tracks, whilst the Kärntner Trommlerkorps (Carinthian Drum Corps) came out on two separate occasions to add even more drum sounds to the already drum-saturated Konzerthaus. At one point in the middle, dancers Cat & Leon V came waltzing down the aisle before running up the stairs and breaking into a waltz/popping/modern fusion piece.
Finally, after a standing ovation (most fans were standing already anyway), conductor and producers returned for the encore, which to no one’s surprise was a stunning version of ‘Sientelo’, Wagner also announced the V.O.I.C.E Choir to sing not only the orginal vocals on this famous piece but to add a new operatic arrangement. This encore piled goosebumps on top of goosebumps on every fan and musician in the theatre and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. The Red Bull Symphonic 2025 Johann Strauss Edition with Camo & Krooked was truly a spectacular…well, spectacle.
Anyone wondering whether to attend these semiannual concerts, which Red Bull has now expanded to other cities, should hesitate no longer. From the UKF video (below), it’s obvious how special and emotive this most recent event was, and it’s indescribably better in person. Click here to keep track of upcoming Red Bull Symphonic events and here to check the Vienna Konzerthaus’s programme.