I had to look it up because it was a memorable thing related to Peter Namlook. From Pete Ashdown March 28th 1994 -- 18 years ago! He's describing Namlook's set that ended up on Namlook IV.
http://www.discogs.com/Namlook-Namlook-IV/release/1360 From: pashdown@xxxxxxx (Pete Ashdown) Subject: Mixmaster Morris/Pete Namlook SF To: i...@techno.stanford.edu (Intelligent Dance Music) Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 15:01:08 -0700 (MST) Cc: sfra...@techno.stanford.edu (SF Raves) X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL22] Content-Type: text Content-Length: 4213 Sender: idm-ow...@techno.stanford.edu Status: OR "Something different" was the general consensus on what people were expecting from the completely ambient show with Mixmaster Morris, Pete Namlook, and Spacetime Continuum. There seemed to be a large excitement over the night since for a large part the rave scene has run its course in breaking new boundries. In usual form, I'd flown into San Francisco for the weekend to witness yet another event. It was broadly advertised that there would be little to no dancing at this show. Pillows, beanbags, blankets and whatever were encouraged accessories. The organizers had covered the dancefloor with a large padded carpet, then put remnants around the top level balcony. The decorations were definitely homespun, but interesting nonetheless. For the most part, the room looked like a large psychedelic Arabian tent. The sound itself was not obnoxiously loud, just loud enough. I sat near the speakers when it started with no problems, but stuffed my ears with toilet paper later. As I moved around the room, I would take it out to hear better based on my placement. Initially, I sat watching Spacetime Continuum do his stuff. Although his collaboration with Terrence McKenna makes me green, I do enjoy his solo music quite a bit. He concocted an interesting, yet varied set. His show dipped into dance, but not for long. It seemed that whenever a beat kicked in, the crowd cheered and started to throb. Otherwise, the audience looked very much like a large slumber party. When Mixmaster Morris finally came on, he crouched in front of the carpet behind two 1200's and a Denon 2000 (yay!!). The beginning of his set started with an old recording of relaxation techniques that was used on "Flying High" as well. Over the course of the night, he brewed a mostly beatless set. I only recognized a few tracks, and in his first set, there was no Irresistible Force that I could place. The reason I say this is because there were a couple of tracks that sounded dead-on in the IF style. Maybe we have another album to look forward to in the near future? While Morris was spinning, Pete Namlook sat behind him messing with some equipment on the desk. It was a subject for debate as to whether he was actually doing anything or not. What I believe it ended up being was the fact that he was doing setup for his performance. When Morris finished, Namlook took over immediately with some light airy ambience that ranged from simple sweeps into odd electronic noise. About half an hour into this, THE BEAT KICKED IN. The largest cheer from the audience yet went up as this very slick n' cool 110 bpm crusher bounced around the room. Namlook let it fly for a while, then when back to straight ambience. This went on for a performance of almost 90 minutes. Frankly I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing was sent to DAT for later publishing. Morris came back on and proceeded to mix into the morning. This set was airier, more angelic than the first. I fell asleep twice, waking up to what seemed like the heavens opening up for me. Around 5:00 AM, the ambient version of "Space is the Place" came on. I smiled as he worked in Psychick Warriors of Gaia's "Obsidian" underneath it. I really think it was the best thing he played all night. What a brilliant track. My only complaint with his performance is that it wasn't much of a performance. I would have much rather seen him do something live and/or play more of his own material. This is why I feel Namlook bested him. Overall an excellent show. Certainly nothing like the Orb or Orbital shows I was in town for previously, but a certain newness prevailed. Besides the fact that this was an over-21 show, I think there was an even older crowd present. It seems that whenever a new idea comes around the highschool kids are the last to embrace it. The ambient slumber party may or may not take off as a replacement for rave, but I certainly think it has some potential. I received one flyer from a DJ who I had seen do ambient rooms at Wicked events advertising an ambient outdoor event. If it wasn't so cold here right now, I'd fire up the generator and do one of my own. Instead, all I have to do is look forward to summer.
