With all the hype and tickets selling out in no time. If you weren’t planning to go to Villa last Friday night, you definitely missed out on a REALLY BIG night. There was dramas from the start as bouncers came out early informing early punters that there was no door sales, because of a last minute “artist request” as they changed the DJ set up from the typical roof top balcony @ Villa to closer down on the stage.
A1 Bassline really got the crowd going as I was seeing the “bumping” getting harder and harder ! Keeping to his name with some good bass-lines shaken with some party electro.
Then of course we had Steve Aoki, from his trademark head bopping ( all you see is his hair) to sharing his bottle of Goose with the all the front rowers ! He was party, party, party ! I think it was fair to say the whole of Villa was really waiting for that one song…….WOOP WOOP! ( Bloody Beetroots -Warp). I had to say ive never seen Villa go as mental to that song, definitely a moment to remember for all punters there.
Finally to close it off, we had Mickey Juice & Bad Weather back-to-back to finish the crowd off. I have to say they did well as they really kept the whole vibe and party going. Mixing party tunes after tunes. From the VIP up top to the entrance of Villa. YOU WERE BOPPIN. BIG NIGHT with STEVE AOKI & A1 BASSLINE.
What: Origin NYE 2009
Where: Bassendean Oval
When: 31 December 2009
Cost/Ticket details: TBA
Wow Knowledge music are putting on another awesome multi-genre festival! There’s hip-hop, DnB, dubstep and electro. With Method Man being one of the headliners I think this will be such a massive party, there really won’t be too many places that would be better than this for NYE, unless like Knowledge have said you’re so loaded you have your own flying boat (not sure if that just means if you have enough money to ‘think’ flying boats exist, or flying boats do exist and they’re very expensive). Full line up after the jump…
Knowledge (Website)
What: Foals Dj Set, Tim & Jean
Where: Amplifier
When: 15 November 2009
Cost/Ticket details: 20+Bf (early), 25+Bf (normal), moshtix
Edwin Congreaves, the keyboardist from the Foals is Foals Djs, now he’s from a band that I love and I’m expecting him to come and play a varied set for all of the indie rockers out there. He’s played V-Festival and Field Day so he is a dj in his own right, if you’re worried he’s one of these band members who just does it for some extra cash, then be reassured he isnt!
Foals Djs (Myspace)
Ever been that mysterious (see: messed up) soul on the dance floor rocking out on your own at the end of the night? Last night I had that privilege but there were two things that weren’t quite right. First, I was pretty much sober and second, I was that guy from about two songs into Pase Rock’s set and it sadly never really changed. I’m not sure if it was One Movement being on the same day, Steve Aoki being the night before or just a random set of factors I couldn’t even begin to comprehend but Shape was doing it’s best impersonation of a ghost town. It was a damn shame because he and main support PhDJ threw down a couple of fun indie/electro sets that would have normally had people rocking hard to the wee hours of the morning.
This is the first of a two part mini-article series focusing on the hardware/software dj’s use (Pt. I) and what makes a good dj set (Pt. II). This article is meant to be a starting point, I hope you put your comments on the bottom of the post. I’m going to start with the dj set up because there’s so much debate about what is and what isn’t okay to use, and of course it varies from person to person for whatever reasons.
I’m always told that using Serato or Ableton (or any other Ableton like program) takes the ’skill’ out of mixing. I’m a small time dj and before I started had never picked up an instrument in my life, had no idea what key or BPM was, yet I was able to learn how to mix two songs in the same key with similar BPMs. Is there really that much skill involved in basic mixing in the first place? If there are two vastly different BPMs, or two tracks that aren’t created electronically this can’t be used as an excuse not to mix properly. If a CDJ dj can’t mix properly it completely destroys the argument about the ’skill’ of mixing.
On the flip side, using Serato or Ableton to simply mix tracks does seem pretty poor, but just mixing between tracks on CDJs isn’t that great either. I think the technology we have available should be pushing for people to become more creative with their sets. No one wants to see the same tracks hashed up in the same way all the time. So a good dj, whether they use vinyl, CDJs, Serato or anything else, will be able to add something of their own the a set. I think the general punters appreciate someone who’s working hard. Even if they don’t notice little mistakes, they’ll still enjoy someone putting everything into a set.
Although I was only a kid when CDJs came into existence I do know the same debate occured between traditional vinyl Djs and CDJ djs, so maybe in time we can have something else for people to try and flex their ego over. Any thoughts?
When we got to Limelite it was quiet but slowly the crowd swelled and Zel kept them on the dance floor until Congorock stood up to the decks. His set had almost every person in the place dancing, it started off with some decent electro beats, that weren’t too heavy and had enough bass to keep everyone moving. About halfway through the set there was, at the time, an unnoticeable jump into heavy electro with Positif and AA 24/7, and it was good! Suddenly I realised there was this really large change in the style of music, but it was done so inconspicuously. Congorock was able to throw in some more well known tracks like Get Get Down and Show Me Love, but used remixes that he could fade in and out and make the most of the well known riff. This is where Congorock really stood out as a good dj, his ability to chop and change between so many tracks, and it had the perfect drops lined up with great track selection. Oh and he played Duck Sauce, You’re Nasty, and Duck Sauce are kind of the duo of the moment so that was pretty cool! Master Dash and Moe Steez closed out the night with a very happy dancefloor.
Congorock (Myspace)
As I sit and sip my hot chocolate, being a little pansy, I’m talking to the most confident person with one of the biggest attitudes in the Perth electronic music scene, Becci. She’s just over 18 but her attitude suits a hardened musician. She knows she’s good, and she’s not afraid to tell you about it. Don’t even think of calling her an MC, she will cut you into pieces if you do, and I learnt that the hard way…
Joakim said her latest track with Fredrico Franchi will get ‘played for months’ on his radio show in France. I thought I’d do the standard Perthquake thing and find out how Becci came to grab the attention of so many international artists (just check all the collaborations on her myspace). The full interview is after the jump…
Kaz feat. Becci – We Go Down
Daniel Dexter feat. Becci – Crowds n Lites
Becci (Myspace)
I just watched the video Amnesia took of your performance at Shape, it looked like the crowd really enjoyed it.
Yeah I was playing at 4am, I got on stage and everyone was going crazy, and when I got off 10 random people came up and said
What: Eli Smith, Bad Weather, Hickey, Prodje, Holy Thursday
Where: Shape
When: 31 October 2009
Cost/Ticket details: 15 (dressed up/member), 20 (not dressed up) door sales
Dress up or die! Eli Smith is in town to suck the life out of you, by making you dance that is. Eli’s the man behind So Sweet Records, who has uncovered/released work from Le Castle Vania, Crystal Castles, Ladytron, Fukkk Offf, Dan Deacon, Shinichi Osawa, Partyshank, A1 Bassline, Lies In Disguise, Kelevra, Bass Weazal, Sharkslayer. It doesn’t stop there, Sweet As is also a clothing line, artist management, booking agency, tour management, event promotions & production! So Eli’s running some big brand that has become one of the respected labels in the underground electro scene.
Eli Smith (Myspace)
What: Sonny Fodera (Drop|Guesthouse|Replay) w/ support from Rob Sharp, La Gooch, James A, Adam Kytka, and Damir
Where: Geisha
When: 17 October 2009
Cost/Ticket details: 15, door sales only
Hailing from Adelaide, Australia Sonny Fodera’s story is starting to gain momentum; having started producing music at a young age he has established himself as one of Australia’s premier deep jackin house dj’s and producers, artist/remixer. As a dj, his signature sound showcases smooth technical wizardry combined with a music selection geared to satisfy even the most discerning house music listeners. More info including set times after the jump…
Sonny Fodera (Myspace)
What: GLITTER WOMB II
Where: X-Wray
13 essex st Fremantle (opposite Luna on Essex)
When: 30 October 2009
Cost/Ticket details: Free!
If you missed the first one…. (btw it was a corker!) Down at the X-Wray (tucked away on Essex street Fremantle) will be another night of Disco/Dancing/Drinking/Delirium
Featuring;
FKNMIDAS (JUKEBOXX, SHAPE,)
&
MIKEY JUICE (THE BUMP, SHAPE, LOVE SAVES FRIDAY)
Experience syntoms, claps and cowbells all for FREE
