Since the mid nineties the DJ turned into the super star DJ. No longer was the DJ some person that happened to be playing records in the background, they were thrust into the limelight, they became centre stage and elevated above the crowd, they became closer to becoming the rock star. Well at the end of September Richie Hawtin and the Contakt bunch stepped DJing that little bit closer from merely playing records to putting on a full blown show. Gone are the dark sweaty dingy small clubs; in are the arena sized live venues. No more will the single sweeping blue light and occasional strobe keep the crowds visually entertained, it must be 30ft high LED screens with intricate graphics. Production values now rival a rock gig. But is that what clubbing and dance music is all about? Had Richie Hawtin pushed the concept too far away from its roots? There had been a lot of apprehension on whether the London Contakt show would be any good founded on some of the issues from last year along with a bit of a Minus backlash with people growing tired of their sound for being too cold and too clinical. There were also qualms about the venue, the ticket price and just a general feeling of tiredness from the whole idea. Leading into the show/gig/party, expectations seemed pretty low with a general feeling of well I’ll pop along to see what its like plus I’ll get to hear a bit of Hawtin.

I happened to pop along too and to answer my questions – it can be; I don’t think so, he’s having a go at trying something new; the venue worked; and finally was it any good – a resounding yes!

I had my reservations about Brixton academy when the venue was announced but looking back it really was suited for that type of show. The large capacity room could fit everyone in along with the massive stage space required for the screen and DJs. Brixton also sorted the floor out by having it level for the majority of the main dancefloor, so the fears of being wonky and at 20 degree gradient were alleviated. The only gripe that persisted, and I mentioned this when I was previewing this event, were the drinks. A choice between Tuborg or Carlsberg was like a choice between gouging your eye with a bread stick or trying to do a surgical incision through paper cuts alone. There was the special cider option number three which was Strongbow or the final alternative – the spirits route. Either way the drinks situation, as always with O2 Academies, was pretty dire. But then again you’re not out clubbing for the drinks – or so I’m told. But as I was saying before I got distracted by drinks, the venue worked well, the staff were well organised, there was space to move yet the right busy for a good atmosphere plus the sound weren’t too shabby either.

But the true spectacle of the night has to be the visuals. I’ve seen the Ali Demirel show a few times now and it just doesn’t become tiring to see, and at Brixton Academy it looked particular special as you can see by the video in this post. It really does step up a few DJs playing records to a full blown audio visual show. Demirel had a full kit of visuals for every moment in the music from graphics that gave the illusion of travelling through space, through to slowly mutating and growing, pulsing graphics or simple shades and shapes – all complimented the abstract and discernibly electronic music being played by the Minus crew.

Earlier I mentioned people becoming tired of the Minus sound with it being too cold and clinical, but on the night no one seemed tired at all. Yes they played that Minus sound where it is mechanical and clunky or abstract and alien, but the high energy beats and big room bass gushed a sea of smiling faces from where I was standing. Whilst I did yearn for a quick detraction from the Minus techno to add a bit more dimension,  it wasn’t detrimental to the set. People were happily caught on every whirring sound, every bass drop and every flash of prominent noise which created a great responsive atmosphere. The techno was heavy and pounding yet not at a pace which required a crowd to try and keep up but instead have everybody in the place bouncing on the temporary level floor. It is big room techno for a big crowd to be audibly and visually floored. It still is clubbing, it certainly felt like it, just with that larger than life production. Its something different and it worked.

But did the combined DJ show work? Kind of. I still question whether it really requires all of them to play at once and whether one or two people could do same job. There were some interesting moments which involved some practiced set pieces to heavily layer up a body of sound. Yet it was difficult to tell whether their real time manipulation was making any impact and adding more than if that piece were simply recorded and played back by one person. And I guess this is the significant difference between a gig with a band musicians and a band of laptop DJs. Unlike a band of musicians there is no visual connectivity between the DJ and the affect they’re having on the music. You’ve got five or six people up there, but there’s no link between what a person is doing and what you are hearing. Whereas with a band the visual aspect of seeing a talented musician input to the sound is very powerful, allowing you the audience to appreciate each and every person’s input. It’s kind of like seeing an excellent lead guitarist going crazy on their guitar and being able to audibly associate the result directly. If Contakt can some how visually connect the DJs actions through their LED display then I think they will make a leap forward in the combined DJ performance realm.

However don’t let that last outburst distract from the fact that the party was fantastic. The music was great, the crowd were great and the event was well put together. The show does seem to be improving and I can only hope they take it further.

So what does the weekend have installed for all these younguns? Well the question should probably more what doesn’t the weekend have installed.

Contakt with Richie Hawtin

For one more time this year London will be graced with the last Contakt show for the year. It’s been almost a year since they last step foot in London and almost a year and a half since they started doing the show. If you haven’t heard by now the Contakt concept brings the Minus clan together, allowing them to perform as one unit set to the backdrop of some impressive visuals. Basically it’s an elaborate back to back session with all the Minus producers in front of a massive LED display showing some incredible trippy visuals. The show was pretty spectacular at Sonar 08 with the huge crowd and massive LED display which covered the whole stage. You can check some video footage at the Sonar Video link here.

On Saturday they’ll be taking over Brixton Academy which should provide them the space they need which SE-One struggled to do the first time they came to London. It should be interesting to see how the venue deals with a more club orientated show which is in turn trying to be a more live show event. All I hope is that they don’t have that sloping floor! Anyways, a chance to see Hawtin and the Minus lot in the capital accompanied by stunning visuals in a venue setup for this kind of thing – you’d be rude not to check it out.

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Ministry 18th Birthday with Sasha

If you’re after something a little more mature then you should head down to Ministry where they will be celebrating their coming of age. They’ve brought in their childhood friends Sasha and Nick Warren to help celebrate the club’s passage into adulthood. I do wonder what happens to a nightclub when it becomes an adult. Do they start thinking they own the place with their Charlie big potatoes whilst the older Jazz clubs scoff at how immature and naïve the club actually is? Either way, one thing is for sure. No 18th Birthday celebration has ever been a subdued affair. Expect Sasha and Warren to blow the roof off like they have been since the beginning of time. I’d imagine a little reminisce of those early years will be in order too. Maybe Ministry’s mum will dig out the photo album of the club in nappies?

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Warehouse Project presents Aphex Twin at Matter

If all that seems a bit tame and you’d prefer your ears and eyes to be dragged backwards through a thorn bush intertwined with barbed wire as it rains lemon juice then matter might be up your street. The Warehouse Project, those car park dwelling folk from t’up north, have brought along the eccentric creative force that is Aphex Twin. His DJ sets are a bit of a rarity but when he does play they normally go down in legend. I would try and explain what to expect but I’m not even sure myself what he would play. His sound encompasses everything in the electronic music spectrum. Ambient, techno, drum n bass, you name it, and he’s probably dabbled with it. Some of it can’t even be classified, its just complete head fuck music that’s completely out there. What I do know is that he’ll be incorporating visuals, which if his music videos are anything to go by, you’ll definitely be weeping into next month. There is even talk of Aphex Twin utilising matter’s 5.1 surround sound. Sounds like anything could happen and that’s what Aphex Twin thrives on.

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Secretsundaze with Dixon

If you’re still standing after Saturday’s shenanigans, then how about unwinding at Secretsundaze? Their run of summer parties is unfortunately coming to a close but they’re going out with a bang so that you’re left wanting more. Sunday’s penultimate party is to be located, quite practically, in the rough warehouse surroundings of Village Underground. I mean let’s not kid ourselves, outdoor parties and the end of September aren’t the first things that come together in a sentence. Making sure that Secretsundaze leaves that everlasting impression will be Dixon. Not much needs to be said really. This guy plays brilliant house music and is probably one of the best DJs around at the moment. This definitely shouldn’t be missed.

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Wet Yourself at Fabric with Marcel Dettmann

Finally to round off the weekend, Wet Yourself wants to take you kicking and screaming into Monday morning. No rest for the wicked eh? One man who never rests and has been playing an extended Berghain after after after party set since 2002 is Marcel Dettmann. You might wonder how he does other stuff if he has been playing a continual set at Berghain for the last seven years. Well rumour has it that he has a monster looped techno record which he puts on whilst he steps out for a few hours. The Berghain punters love it. This Sunday that very record will be on again so that Marcel can catch a flight to London for Wet Yourself. This is definitely recommended if you don’t mind your Mondays being a complete right off.

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So there it is… So many options and only 48 hours. Pick wisely.

One on the not too distant horizon is Richie Hawtin and his band of merry laptop equipped men (and one girl). The M_nus mob return to the capital city to serve up another helping of their multimedia extravaganza show Contakt. It’s been almost a year since they would have last wowed the crowds in London with their multi tag team dj sound and retina burning visual show, so it should be interesting to see how or if the show has evolved. We particularly enjoyed one of their debut shows at Sonar a couple years ago, but still felt they hadn’t fully utilised the possibilities of the setup. So let’s hope their latest offering will step it up to the next level.

After a few niggles at SE-One, it looks like the show has relocated to the bigger venue of Brixton Academy. Good move? I’m not sure. Brixton Academy does have its charm, but the sloping floor and fading live venue layout and décor make it less excitable for a clubbing experience. However I’m going to reserve judgement until the night. I’ve read in places that Brixton Academy can level their floor for a more dancefloor friendly vibe and the visuals should make up for the live venue feel. So maybe all is not lost, but I do wonder why they didn’t make use of matter for this one. It surely has to be the optimal venue for such a show?

Anyways. Its defo worth a shout just to let Ali Demirel rape your eyes with his mind bending visuals on that massive LED display.

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M-NUS presents CONTAKT Special

Saturday 26th September 2009
O2 Academy Brixton
10pm – 6am

RICHIE HAWTIN
MAGDA
TROY PIERCE
MARC HOULE
GAISER
HEARTTHROB
JPLS
AMBIVALENT
BAREM

Visuals:
ALI DEMIREL

www.contakt-events.com
www.m-nus.com