we loved sounds

It was a wet winter day by the water, as thousands filled shed 4 at the Docklands, in Melboourne.  Following the theory that any good party is hard to find, people slowly found their way there by chasing the heavy bass vibrations, being felt from far away. The shed was isolated enough in order to not effect the neighbourhood. However, It was close enough to the city which framed the landscape with the urban skyline. 

Gaiser [M_nus the experience] 

The festival had three stages, divided according to the musical genre and performance style. The main stage “we love live” held all the bands, the middle one called “hardware” was the place for most of the live acts, and the last one “one love”, had mostly dj sets. The space’s layout was interesting, nonetheless its acoustics were not appropriate to hold three dancefloors. The middle one, which had most of the minimalist performances, was overpowered by the the heavy beats reverberating from the stages on either side. Therefore, effecting artists’ performances such as Ellen Alien, Modeselektor, Marc Houle, and Gaiser.

Derrick Carter 

Despite the acoustic problem, several artists who played at the peripheral stages incredibly engaged the selective crowd with the quality of their sets. In my opinion, some of the highlights were Chicago’s house music godfather’s Derrick Carter; M_nus the Experience’s Gaiser with his minimalist live act; Deep Dish’s Dubfire surprisingly going deep into the underground, and Cassius grown-up french-disco set. 

Dubfire [Deep Dish]

Amongst the bands, The Whip, The Bravery, and Chk Chk Chk were the ones who attracted the biggest crowds, nevertheless in my humble opinion, the festival’s sound system or the space’s acoustics weren’t good enough to hold those performances. A reflection of that could be seen at the Brazilian indie-funk playback based, Bonde do Rolê. Four microphones weren’t enough even for a portuguese speaker to understand what they were saying, therefore you can imagine most of the Australian’s expressions watching their show. Anyhow, regardless of technical issues, language and cultural barriers, the four piece band got most of the crowd going during their 45 minute presentation. 

Bonde do Rolê

After listening to great quality music from several countries around the world, the one who blew my mind was, once again, from France. The country who gave us Daft Punk and Justice, brought us the experienced Ed Banger’s Mr Oizo. His disturbed yet accurate performance kept everyone off the floor with their hands in the air. Mr Oizo walked onto the stage with a stack of case-less CDs (like those you will find at a reckless junkie’s house), his headphones around the neck, and a cigarette in his mouth. As he sets up his decks, the crowd goes crazy, resulting in one of the best dj-public interactions I’ve seen before. Looking at him, all I could see was a mad musical scientist, experimenting his notes and combinations on the responsive crowd. He was an evil puppeteer controlling his freak show, which was so amazing that he nearly had to be dragged out of the stage; in order to give place to the next performer. With no more english words to describe, all I can say is Merci beaucoup, Monsieur!

Mr Oizo [Ed Banger] 

shake ya pelvis!

 

The german techno legend Sven Väth arrives in Melbourne on the 29th, ending this month of southern hemisphere carnaval in great style. Väth will be spinning a special 3 hour set showcasing sounds of his 2007 Cocoon Ibiza residency. As high quality electronic music is never enough for the most edgy melburnians, the event will receive the strength and technic of the poker flat’s Steve Bug, along with the acclaimed brazilian Gui Boratto, from the german label Kompakt, bringing to the dance floor a live set that you won’t want to miss. The trio promises an electrifying night filled with the most fresh minimal, maximal, and glitchy techno where you will dance until your blisters beg you to stop. So don’t miss out, buy your tickets now, put those stretchy skinny jeans on, and shake that pelvis like there was no tomorrow!

 

What: Sven Väth (GE) + Steve Bug (GE) + Gui Boratto (BR) + more…

When: Friday February 29

At the Queensbridge (1 queensbridge st, Melbourne)

More info: futureentertainment.com.au

 

Sven Vath live at weekend dance. Madrid, Spain. 14-09-2007