Last Weekend
So I checked out T-Bar last Friday for Ralph Sliwinski (though can’t be sure if he actually played) and then the Scala on Saturday for Secretsundaze featuring Cassy, Ame, and various others.
Friday was a strange night, the first time I’d been in T for ages but I can’t say I really got into it after enjoying Bart Skils and Anton Piete’s “The Shining”. Still, it’s always surprising how much loud dance music of any kind grabs you even when you’ve only been away from clubs for a month or so. It’s just that intangible feeling of the club, of a shared experience of music you like. You can’t replicate it really.
I mean, I can remember the dates and the records played from nights I went to 7 years ago, but I can never remember exactly how good I felt or how much fun I had, or the specific way a full club actually feels. That’s why we go back I suppose, we just lose that memory. It’s the same with DJing, when it’s amazing I find myself telling myself to try and remember it somehow, to store it up. You can’t though.
The problem is, when you forget, in busy times or bad times, you can’t just flick a switch and remember what a great nightclub feels like. You have some falsified mental memory of clubbing, but it’s not instantly available. So if you’ve not been in a club in a while, then go to one! Don’t forget!
Anyway enough preaching! Friday was a good start to the weekend even if it didn’t blow me away, but Saturday was better. The Scala is a bit weird. As an old cinema it reminds me of clubs in Dublin, those old buildings with endless stairwells to crash in whose high ceilings and weird shaped rooms seem to scream “I wasn’t meant to be a music venue!”. There’s a nice side to wandering around somewhere like that, like a big house party, but sometimes you crave one vast open dancefloor.
Soundwise I thought everything seemed quiet and muffled until about 3am or so, but I stood in several different places. Musicwise Cassy was far and away the best. That was the first time I’d seen her and it was just a nice lean set of bodily focussed house music, a really determined selection. It’s hard to see her not becoming massively popular (or should that be even more popular) by the end of the year, especially with new productions coming out.
After that it seemed like a combination of the Secretsundaze guys and maybe Ame (apparently a secret guest on the night, but it was too smokey in there to tell) played till 6am. This was the next best part, I guess it’s nice when a venue thins out a bit and you can lose yourself a bit more. There’s something edifying about staying until the end of a night at 6am, before you’re dragging yourself out crying. All night parties are ideal but I have no problems with 6am.
Once Secretsundaze was over we headed to a secret wooded location in East London (my flat) where I played for a while for some friends through speakers with the sound quality of two biscuit tins. It was just a few friends but I did play the new Innervisions by Ame, Dixon, and Henrik Schwarz which is really brilliant and so good to mix (more on this soon, I may review it.)
If you’re a golf fan, (what sport could be closer to techno?) suffice to say that Padraig Harrington had probably teed off by the time the night ended. I can remember UR’s “Transition”, probably playing Marshall Jefferson’s “Mushrooms” about 5 times, the Acid Jesus remix of G-Man’s “Quo Vadis”, Robert Dietz’s ultra-warm “Backseat” on Cécille, a “Rose Rouge” remix or two, and just about everything else I own. Then sleep came.
Anyone at either night on Friday or Saturday? What did you think?
Daragh wrote:
I always know it’s been a good night when I wake up on the floor in a pile of my own… records.
Posted 25 Jul 2008 at 7:49 am ¶
tomo wrote:
i went to secret sundaze at love box on sat and was gonna come to the afterparty at scala but was weee bit tired and the rest of my mates weren’t up for it.
The sound at love box was pants, they had to keep the volume down due to council restrictions and there was a high police presence.
saw Kristian (Ame) at lovebox and he played a good set as did Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts but I always find that I prefer James and Giles’ sets to their guests.
Posted 25 Jul 2008 at 8:01 am ¶
Jon wrote:
Went to Tape in Berlin, Quarion was playing, we had great fun but got the feeling it just wasn’t going to happen that night, so our party went both home & to Panorama. Then Melt on Saturday, dance music not in tents does not work for me.
Posted 25 Jul 2008 at 5:13 pm ¶
tiddlerz wrote:
‘Then Melt on Saturday, dance music not in tents does not work for me.’ ????
in tents? or not in tents?
strictly in solid structures aka clubs for me!!
Posted 25 Jul 2008 at 9:12 pm ¶
tiddlerz wrote:
PS. Tape is niice!
Posted 25 Jul 2008 at 9:13 pm ¶
john osborn wrote:
i’m of in a mo’ to the Cécille recs. showcase here in Berlin at the Badeschiff… and it’s hot here… wil try to remember more than just half a flick book of emotions this time!
Posted 26 Jul 2008 at 5:22 pm ¶
Ronan wrote:
that sounds great. v hot here also, prob going to see dan selzer at the star of bethnal green.
Posted 26 Jul 2008 at 5:25 pm ¶
Jon wrote:
dance music outdoors is what i meant, sometimes it does but definitely not in torrential rain!
Posted 27 Jul 2008 at 7:31 am ¶
RoK wrote:
Went to a festival in Holland where the rain was pooring down while Melon played Show me love by Krystal Waters. Heard Dixon play half a set before I headed home prematurely due to the weather.
Posted 27 Jul 2008 at 1:13 pm ¶
ronan t wrote:
I was at the Scala, found it difficult to get into initially. It was my first Secretsundaze event of the year as I’m living in Romania for the summer. Wasn’t that impressed by the night overall don’t think I’ll bother going to one of their events again.
Posted 27 Jul 2008 at 6:55 pm ¶
Paul M wrote:
Was at melt myself and thought it was very average musically and in terms of organisation. Bad weather seemed to make for pretty bad sound all across the site.
The cecile thing here on Saturday was great though and it rolled over into Andre Galluzi’s birthday party where Ricadro and Andre played back to back for about 8 hours after Carsten Klemann and Andomat 3000. Then on to bar 25 where Markus Fix and a few more of the Cecile crew were keeping things going. During the course of the weekend I must have Trompeta by Sis about 12 times. Villalobos and Galluzi even dropped the Jam and Spoon mix of Age Of Love as one of their last tracks. Absolute Chaos.
Posted 28 Jul 2008 at 11:52 am ¶
mano wrote:
Galluzi’s birthday party was ridiculous! best party in berlin for some time…
Posted 28 Jul 2008 at 2:09 pm ¶
Anders wrote:
@Paul M. Yeah, I seriously thought I’d die out of plain happiness when he/they put on Age Of Love. Overall a really great party, with a lots of memorable moments and fantastic tracks (for example the Berovich and Leicher remix of Hypnotoad and Ronald Christophs Underground Limbo).
Posted 28 Jul 2008 at 8:24 pm ¶
Eric wrote:
On sunday at noon after panoramabar mostly blew the whole night prosumer and tama sumo tagged for 8 hours in the garden! It was amaaazing, with the misting water, sunshine and blaze - lovelee dae… If you’re still in town I am playing some chicago house with some friends at club der visionaere tomorrow night.
Great blog by the way!
Posted 28 Jul 2008 at 8:51 pm ¶
Joe wrote:
prosumer and tama sumo for 8 hours?!
all these stories of amazing parties make me wonder what i’m doing with my life!
Posted 28 Jul 2008 at 10:50 pm ¶
rchinn wrote:
Cassy is back in London in August. Looking forward to joining you all back in the northern hemisphere as well.
Posted 29 Jul 2008 at 9:34 pm ¶
rchinn wrote:
Oh, and yes there are techno golf fans. I’ve checked my clubs into cloak-room at T-Bar before for a Sunday afternoon raving after a morning on the course. Bar Music Hall wouldn’t allow them, so on a previous outing I had to check them at 333.
Posted 29 Jul 2008 at 9:37 pm ¶
molko999 wrote:
Thursday: Martin Landsky & Kabale und Liebe at Weekend, good warm up for the crazy weekend that was to come.
Friday evening: Tresor with Patrick Zigon (not my thing), then Panorama for the Hello Repeat party with blinding sets from Jan Kruger and Daniel Stefanik.They played loads of old house till 11.15am, including, from what i can remember: Crustation’s “Flame” (Mood 2 Swing remix), The Mole people’s “Break Night”, Blaze’s Lovelee day (some remix i cant remember), Moloko’s “Sing it back” (Matthew Herbert remix), some Brothers Vibe stuff and dozens of extremely melodic and beautiful records!
Saturday evening: We went to Watergate to the Cadenza showcase which was so so. Then Panorama from 5am to 3pm which was amazing (Dinky played for nearly 7 hours of beautiful house music!!!).
We also ended up at Galluzzi’s birthday where watching Ricardo playing the trumpet was absolutely priceless!!!
Mental weekend
Posted 29 Jul 2008 at 9:57 pm ¶
molko999 wrote:
RoK,
did you mean Robin S “Show me love” (also a Luciano favorite…)
Posted 29 Jul 2008 at 10:01 pm ¶
RoK wrote:
@molko999 I guess i did, thanks
Posted 29 Jul 2008 at 10:38 pm ¶
RoK wrote:
come to think of it, like it as well”
http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=XaIGPlfH_rs
Posted 29 Jul 2008 at 10:40 pm ¶
RoK wrote:
Anybody knows when this is finally coming out?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8JFSKanFxg
Posted 29 Jul 2008 at 10:49 pm ¶
RoK wrote:
Oh yeah, here’s a taste http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jrP_YDu9xo
Posted 29 Jul 2008 at 11:34 pm ¶
Ronan wrote:
Man it sounds like everyone had a good weekend, especially the folks in Berlin.
BTW Paul M you still moving over here at some stage?
@rchinn, I haven’t played golf in years but I love to watch it on TV!
Posted 31 Jul 2008 at 7:22 pm ¶