Thursday, February 14, 2008
A Warehouse Party in Collingwood
2007/8 has been the summer of the warehouse party, and thanks to some hosts, this previously small-scale venture has taken on a life of it's own. Tonight sees the warehouse decked out in a refreshingly pirate-free nautical theme of sailors; fine admirality, earnest navigators, first mates and the odd cabin boy. The rope fence along the front of the stage is entwined with fairy lights, there are flags and sculptures scattered around the room and right beneath the animated projections is the stage, like a ship's deck. For the most part of the late evening highly musical DJ Attack And Release is working the decks, using silence and percussive scratches to enliven some red hot mash-ups, most notably a Bette Davis Eyes that gets a lot of folk smiling. Bedecked, as are many others, in a sailor suit (I do recall someone within these laughably un-hallowed pages spotting this as a coming trend several months ago) Mr Attack And Release can barely contain his glee at the effects of his songs on the throngs many of whom struggle to find room to express their appreciation. There is a thrill of newness without the sense of exclusivity here, the spectacular effort put in by the owners and the largely-followed theme brings out a shinier side in many of those who find themselves here. Though the music is not the focal point of the whole night, when Qua - fresh from supporting Trans Am - plays, it is. Accompanied by a sleepy John Lee (of Mountains In The Sky) on drums and outstanding though muted percussionist Gray (of Flying Scribble) he squeezes magic from his laptop and impresses mightily with his warm Aphex-ish sounds that twist in odd directions and inspire much movement in the crowd. Qua marries visual and musical elements in a compelling way and tonight he is tailoring beats for the floor far more than his usual more ambient set, and does so in fine style, still keeping that adventurousness intact while allowing the visuals to add a layer of playfulness to the mood. Lee works off directions from Qua following the beat but never messing with the warm bass pulsing and squelchy lead lines. An ace night and a good way to keep warm as the year cools. Let's hope there are more to come.
2007/8 has been the summer of the warehouse party, and thanks to some hosts, this previously small-scale venture has taken on a life of it's own. Tonight sees the warehouse decked out in a refreshingly pirate-free nautical theme of sailors; fine admirality, earnest navigators, first mates and the odd cabin boy. The rope fence along the front of the stage is entwined with fairy lights, there are flags and sculptures scattered around the room and right beneath the animated projections is the stage, like a ship's deck. For the most part of the late evening highly musical DJ Attack And Release is working the decks, using silence and percussive scratches to enliven some red hot mash-ups, most notably a Bette Davis Eyes that gets a lot of folk smiling. Bedecked, as are many others, in a sailor suit (I do recall someone within these laughably un-hallowed pages spotting this as a coming trend several months ago) Mr Attack And Release can barely contain his glee at the effects of his songs on the throngs many of whom struggle to find room to express their appreciation. There is a thrill of newness without the sense of exclusivity here, the spectacular effort put in by the owners and the largely-followed theme brings out a shinier side in many of those who find themselves here. Though the music is not the focal point of the whole night, when Qua - fresh from supporting Trans Am - plays, it is. Accompanied by a sleepy John Lee (of Mountains In The Sky) on drums and outstanding though muted percussionist Gray (of Flying Scribble) he squeezes magic from his laptop and impresses mightily with his warm Aphex-ish sounds that twist in odd directions and inspire much movement in the crowd. Qua marries visual and musical elements in a compelling way and tonight he is tailoring beats for the floor far more than his usual more ambient set, and does so in fine style, still keeping that adventurousness intact while allowing the visuals to add a layer of playfulness to the mood. Lee works off directions from Qua following the beat but never messing with the warm bass pulsing and squelchy lead lines. An ace night and a good way to keep warm as the year cools. Let's hope there are more to come.
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