> Let me be the first to say this was a "premium" event. > Paparazzi be damned (mr. g!), but near everyone 313-wise was in the house.
The crowd really was great last night. There were plenty of familiar faces, some people I hadn't seen in far too long, and an overall great vibe. One thing that doesn't get noted enough, either - Motor looked really good! Towers of television screens (courtesy of Detronik, I believe) formed an arch over the performer's setups. They had plexiglass dividers hung in the space between the performer's gear and the front of the audience space, which looked really cool and gave a comfortable distance between us & "them". Finally, a screen was hung at the back of the audience space, in front of which dangled plexi squares with words on them. Very nicely done! > Clark started us off with a great, building, energetic mood. Just a smidge > of dub in the mix to pave the way for Kit Clayton--a smooth thoughtful mix. > Clark seems to me to be a perfect prep-dj. Totally schooled, and able to > read the crowd in subtle ways. Clark played some great stuff, including a new Theorem track (off the Swayzak "240 volts" compilation, I believe) and the entire 12 minutes of Porter Ricks' "Port Gentil". It was good to hear him in that setting - it reminded me of the amazing set he spun before the Chain Reaction tour last year. > Kit Clayton blew my mind as it could not have been blown ten years ago. > Beautiful layers and washes, spiked by string loops, and beats that could > not be heard, but were felt very strongly. Call it techno, call it new dub, > but I think you'll be hearing more of this sound. Going into this event, Kit's set was the one I was anticipating the most. I've been listening to "Nek Sanalet" for a while [1], and enjoyed both the Background record and his contribution to the recent 7th city compilation 12". Kit's set really was exactly what I was hoping for - it was experimental, subtle, percussive, and moving (in that order, actually). He started off with some abstract soundscaping, then moved into a subtle rhythmic groove. Eventually, a 4/4 techno-speed kick came in, and the energy level gradually rose upward. Well, maybe his set wasn't "exactly" what I'd hoped for - he didn't play "Purpakana" (off "Nek Sanalet"), which is my favorite track. He did, however, play a phenomenal extended version of "Suba" to close the set, and it ended things perfectly. Layer upon layer of texture was added until it climaxed in a beatless crescendo. He eventually ran this wall of sound into an enormous delay, and as we stood there listening to the sound decaying away, the crowd broke into applause. It was a great experience. > Stewart followed and made the beat explicit. Almost too much so, after the > buzz that Kit left us in, but I warmed to it eventually. I really like some > of Stewart's work, but there was an insistent 4/4 "bang the box" feel to the > set that didn't match his studio work. At that point, though, I was itching > for vinyl. I felt much the same way about Stewart's set. Where Kit's was all about dynamics and changes, Stewart maintained a very steady energy level. I really enjoyed some of the tracks he played, but found it hard to sustain the level of energy that a consistently pounding 4/4 kick demands. I think Stewart would really have a great live set if he were to play around with the dynamics of it - add some suspense and drama by removing percussion instead of having it omnipresent. > And Titonton dropped it, hard. Turntablism in full effect, and the thinning > crowd really started grooving. Old tracks, new tracks, doubles remixes, > loose beats...T was a great antidote to the structure of the live PA's. The > spirit of Claude Young trapped in a young Rick James. Titonton remains one > of my top 5 DJs. I was also very ready for Titonton by the time he took the decks. I hadn't seen him since the last Packard party, where he blew me away. I was suitably impressed again this time. Sure, he played fast and loose with the beatmatching a few times, but you don't listen to Titonton to hear perfectly matched beats, you listen (and watch) for the pure *energy* that he brings! Anyway, I had a great time. Congrats to those who presented the event, it went off very well. Bill / dj marathon [1] review of "Nek Sanalet" at http://www.chromedecay.org/writing/neksanalet_review.htm -- AppNet MidWest Interactive [formerly Sigma6] / http://www.appnet.com now available: http://techno.ca/cognition/show598.htm always on: http://www.chromedecay.org
