[Long post, delete now if you don't like reading.]
Hello all,
Thought some of you people out in the world might be interested in (my
version of) what happened last night at London's Lost, as it was Rhythm
& Sound + Tikiman in the back room, and Juan Atkins and Rob Hood (+ of
course Steve Bicknell, Lost main dude) in the main room.
I'll start at the beginning: got in and hit the back (upstairs) room
first, and very nice it was, Mark from Honest Jon's (record shop in
Ladbroke Grove) was spinning some dub, and a little roots reggae,
although I'm not an expert so I don't know any names! Had a look
downstairs, and was elated to find the DJ playing some house! A first at
Lost, for me. The atmosphere was really good, people whooping and
hollering, and cheering in the mixes etc. And it was only 11.30! I
thought "This is going to be good!" Just as I was thinking that a
logical build from the house they were playing was into some Purpose
Maker, on it comes! (Can't recall which one though.) Great moment when
the house gave way to the first proper techno kickdrum (you know what I
mean ;) and the tempo just raised ever so slightly, and inside I'm
thinking "Come on!" Actually, I was shouting that as well.
Went back upstairs to cut a rug, Mark (HJ's) was steppin it up a bit
with some digi, a bit of ragga (pitched down), and by now the Berlin
boys were in, evidenced by the flock of dreads who surrounded the booth,
there must have been 6 or 7, probably London dreads alongside the
tourists. Amongst them was Tikiman, he was toasting away nicely, varying
between shouts to the crowd ("London massive, big up!" etc.) and some
nice singing, all the while his voice is being mashed up with delay and
reverb, to nice effect. Nobody was dancing in the centre of the floor
though, as usual at a reggae do, so me and two female accomplices took
the plunge and stepped up, and again as usual within five minutes the
dancefloor was pretty busy! Tunes were slamming, when the rhythm that
was on the Beenie Man track "Who Am I?" ("zim zimma, who got da keys to
ma bimma?") came on, the atmos lifted right up! Tiki was toasting over
the top, and it sounded great - he's a really talented vocalist. Some
proper dancin tunes got everyone going, and I thought to myself again
just how many different rhythms there are inside that little word
"Reggae". (Strokes chin.)
The DJ's really knew how to rock the filters, delay, and reverb,
creating some amazing effects with the tunes they were playing. (Goes
without saying with these guys, I know - still, it's great to hear it
live.) At some point Moritz got on the decks, and I'm sure he took it a
little deeper (it's hazy), some dub, some steppers, all a good vibe. We
thought it'd be a good time to check out the Detroit connection, as I
didn't want to miss any of Juan's set!
Got to the stairs and I could hear a beat, it must have been at LEAST
140bpm, I thought, hold up, maybe I missed Juan and Rob Hood was
playing! I really could see all that far over the crowd to the decks, as
it was quite dark, with the signature red lights in the main room. But
I'm sure it was Juan. I was surprised, as I expected him to be a bit
more groovy, but I may have been able to get down if it wasn't so
packed! The club had decided to let in far too many people, so it was
impossible to dance. That coupled with the ferocious pace sent me back
upstairs! Sorry, but hearing loops at that speed does F*CK ALL for me. I
did hear him drop "He's The Greatest Dancer" which raised a smile. Big
respect to Juan of course, this is JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION OF THIS
NIGHT, not a 'now and forever'-type judgement. Juan is a hero of mine.
[Question: Is the general 'sound' of techno usually up at 140bpm or
more? I know that Lost is the place to hear such things, I was just
curious. The last 313 party was quite pacy as well, maybe I'm smoking
too much?]
So, back upstairs, and the vibe is cool, just, it's the same vibe we had
earlier, and to be honest, I had in the back of my little mind a slight
expectation that they'd drop a few R&S versions for Tiki to toast over,
which would have lifted the levels through the roof! The tunes were
great though, I reckon the guys were taking us through some of the
lesser known byways of reggae, as I didn't even recognise a thing, not
even a melody, rhythm or vocal hook! But then, that says more about my
reggae collection! I'd like to think they were bringing out some of
their rare goodies for us, the quality level was certainly high.
Tried to check out Hood but I couldn't stand the density of the crowd,
and the pace was just too much for me. Plus there were some downright
w*nkers about, pushing here and there, not an 'excuse me' or a pat on
the back in sight! Not my version of raving. Many daggered looks later,
I left for upstairs again. (Again, Hood is a long-time hero of mine and
I've been with him since year dot, so spare me the lectures. There's
just no way to actually DANCE to that music! Listen, yes. Dance, no
f*cking way.)
[Question: I like hard music, but where is the funk when techno is
pitched up like that? I'm not saying 'be a slave to funk' but unless
pogoing becomes de riguer on techno dancefloors I'm stuck for moves to
pull. Haha.]
Maybe if it wasn't so packed you've got some room to swing to it, I
guess with the crowd being as full as it was there was no chance for me.
Adding insult to injury, the bar stopped serving beers at 2am, only you
could get a double at £5.50 (about $10!), or water for £2. Seems like a
cynical ploy to me, although a friend suggested that it might have been
to disencourage the more loutish elements from getting legless, or more
obviously, the licensing laws. But then to keep selling shots? Hmm.
Having to sup water with my spliff at a reggae do was no f-ing fun,
reminding you that, yes, THIS IS CLUBLAND, not a REGGAE NIGHT!
In fact, it struck me as odd that R&S decided to play the back room at a
techno night, with a full crew, but then not play any of the recordings
that brought people to come and see them. Especially when they had their
main vocalist there in person, it would have been great to hear them
slam in with a Burial Mix tune, the recognition would have been
phenomenal, and I'm sure the lads could have taken the sound to another
level, on the night. Mind you, I left at 4am, and there was an hour to
go - can anyone correct me on this one?
Overall though, seeing the R&S guys (and Mark!) plus Tikiman was a real
treat, and I can't wait for the next time. As for the red room, I'm
packing 2oz of amphetamine for my next night out! Ho ho ho.
Oh yeah, next Lost is at Plastic People, for 200 people, with Jeff Mills
and Steve Bicknell playing tunes from 'back in the day'! Should be a
blinder! (See you near the speakers, if you need any 'phet...)
Peace,
Andrew (tired, bit drunk)
