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Interview, inthemix.com.au, Writing

Kim Dezen

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Since 1998 Kim Dezen has gained a reputation as a battle DJ par excellence, placing either first, second or third in the local and national DMC turntablism contests. He’s played at a variety of hiphop shows alongside acts such as Mixmaster Mike, Latryx, Aceyalone, Company Flow, Mystic Journeymen, DJ Craze, DJ A-Trak, DJ Vin-Roc, Blackalicious, Swollen Members, DJ P-trix, DJ Noize, Scratch Perverts, DJ Vadim, Cash Money, James Lavelle and Shortee Blitz. He’s also played with bands such as the Fuglemen and Beat Smugglers.

How did you get into hiphop?
I remember when I was about 10-11, my brother starting listening to groups like Public Enemy and NWA. At first I didn’t really know what the music (hip hop) was all about, but eventually I started to really like and appreciate it. None of my friends at school were into hip hop at all and there was hardly any exposure on TV (except the occasional film clip on rage) – so I used to buy magazines to find more out about other artists, the music, culture etc. I was really into groups like 3rd Bass, Ultramagnetic MC’s, De La Soul, A.T.C.Q, Gangstarr & Brand Nubian.

You’ve been DJing for a number of years. How did you get into it?
I used to go to a few underage parties with mates from school during the holidays when I was about 15/16… specially the Pulse parties that used to be held at Synagogue (Adelaide). That was the first time I was really exposed to DJing – what it was all about and how it was done. Whenever I could, I’d watch DJ’s like HMC, Angu$ and Brendan – studying what they were doing and how they mix-in tracks one after the other. I’m not sure what it was, but I just found it so fascinating – particularly the technical side of things – how you could mesh two tracks seamlessly together.

Soon enough, I started replacing my CD’s/Tapes with vinyl. At the same time I would also religiously listen to 93.7 Degree In Da Shade on 3d Radio (Hosted by Madcap, Quro and DJ Next). I’d tape each show every week and listen in closely and work out how they were cutting/scratching between each mix.

Eventually I hired some decks and tried my hand at it. From there I was hooked. After a few years of saving (and convincing my parents that it wasn’t a waste of money) I bought decks and a mixer – and progressed from there.

Do you play anything else apart from hiphop?
Yes definitely. I play different styles (mainly beat-orientated) such as funk, breaks and jazz – more so than just hip hop these days. Music has always had an important part to play in my life – what I listen to depends on my mood or how I’m feeling at a particular point in time. If I were only playing the same style of music all the time, DJing for me would become quite boring and repetitive.

I find that playing different styles (particularly during the same set) allows me to be more creative with the way I piece tracks together – both musically and technically.

Do you prefer to battle, or to just DJ at a club and why?
Both have their good points and their bad points!! You can’t beat the rush you get after walking on stage; ripping shit up and getting the crowd open during a battle/comp. However, putting together battle sets is rather taxing – both on your time and your wallet!! I’d have to say that right now – I’m more focused on club DJing rather than battles. It lets me incorporate both styles of DJing into the one set. In some aspects, club sets can actually be more challenging. It takes time to work out what works in a club situation and what doesn’t – and that only comes with experience.

How different is DJing in a live set up with the fuglemen or beatsmugglers to DJing alone?
When you are apart of a live act, you quickly learn that you are there to enhance/add to the overall sound – rather than overpower it! Most other DJ’s I’ve seen tend to think that they have to ‘prove’ themselves on stage. ‘I gotta be the most technical or I have to have the fastest cuts!!’ I say ‘Fuck that!’ More often than not, keeping things clean and simple, complementing the beat and other musicians is more effective than scratching/cutting a million miles and hour. However, that’s not to say that I water down my style… Moderation is the key. Whatever it is – its gotta have the funk!

I find that within a live set up, I can be a little more experimental. Lately I’ve been using different types of effects on-stage (wah-wah, flange pedals) to create a whole range of great sounds. Despite what a lot of people might think, the turntable really is an instrument.
Have you ever considered getting into producing your own material?
Maybe in a few years time I might, but I don’t have any desire to produce my own material at this stage. I’d much rather devote most of my time and energy into improving my skills than anything else. You can never practice too much!

What do you think of the hiphop scene in Adelaide at the moment?
Hip hop in Adelaide has been moving forward in leaps and bounds of the past few years. The scene is constantly growing – with more MCs/DJs bringing out quality releases all the time. Support for the local scene is strong. I’ve gotta say that there’s always been a lot of talented, quality artists coming out of Adelaide. It’s a shame that we’ve missed out on quite a number of tours/acts of the past few years though.

Where do you see hiphop heading? (locally and internationally)
Judging by the amount of radio air-play (particularly Australian hip hop) and the number of people heading out to shows, hip hop will only get bigger. Its great to see hip hop taking a place in music festivals like the Big Day Out and more recently – Wozone here in Adelaide.


You been successful in a lot of Australian DMC battles… any dreams of taking on the world?
Nah not at this stage! There is still a lot more I want to achieve here (locally and nationally) before I head overseas – if the opportunity arises!

Have you toured anywhere overseas?
No

Who inspires you?
Other DJ’s and musicians who are passionate about their music and aren’t afraid to experiment and try and different things.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Still DJing, still ripping shit up!!

You can find Kim Dezen playing at Wozone, and Minke most weekends, as well as being a performer at the South Australian Dance Music Awards.

Event, inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

Cut Le Rock @ Minke

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Getting to Minke at our usual time of “last bus into town”, I was disappointed to see a small turn out of maybe a hundred people spread between the two levels. Then again, with Dave Seaman playing Traffic on the same night, and Clash of the Titans on Saturday, I wasn’t surprised. Breaks is, after all, an emerging scene here, and the vibe of the place reminded me a lot of the early dnb shows – most of the people there at that early stage in the evening were either industry, or friend of the DJs. However, like the early dnb shows, the DJs played as if to 5000 people, as Skywalker and Jayar kept those few that were dancing on the floor for the majority of their sets, playing a mixed bag of funky and tech breaks, building up the party vibe as a few more people wandered in.

Journeying downstairs, the mood was more relaxed, as Denorthwode played popular hiphop to a chilled crowd. Whist it was nice, I was up for more up tempo music, so we travelled upstairs again, to be greeted the splendid sounds of Stephen King, who decided to entertain us all with a set of old school breaks. Playing such gems as Herbie Handcocks’ Rockit and Coldcut’s wonderful remix of Paid in Full, he enticed the growing crowd out onto the floor. Wanting to stay for a while as his tune selection was wonderful, and his mixing superb, he had to compete with the Beat Smugglers downstairs, which was unfortunate, as they won my interest, and we headed down again.

The Beat Smugglers, if you haven’t seen them, are simply amazing. A funk band with a dance mentality, these guys know how to put on a show. Even with one man down for half their act, they still managed to get the now packed place jumping, rocking with their not-so-unique but ever-so-funky blend of funk and hiphop music. When Kim Dezen arrived after his Wozone appearance, he took the band up another level, scratching superbly over their infectious beats, and not a head in the place was still. Thinking Cut Le Rock was on at 2:30, we trudged upstairs again. To our surprise, he hadn’t started, and he didn’t start until 3, which kinda annoyed me as I would have liked to see more of the Beat Smugglers. I dashed downstairs, and missed their last tune, started chatting to a few people, then dashed back upstairs.

By this time the place was nicely filled with about 400 people (but I’m bad at judging crowds), reminding me further of the early dnb scene, as no one would go out until the main act would come on, then there’d be millions of people. As Cut Le Rock had already started I manoeuvred my way to the front to get a close look. Cut Le Rock has been on my “must see” list for about 5 years now, and it was well worth the wait, as he put on a show that simply blew the place up, quite literally. His scratching was simply amazing. He was responsible for guiding the Scratch Perverts away from technical showmanship to be more dancefloor orientated, and, as with them, it shows true turntable skillmanship to be able to mix so well, and keep the dancefloor moving. His track selection was quite a surprise, being all mainly bigbeat, playing such artists as Fat Boy Slim, FreeStylers, and of course dropping a few of his own tracks to boot! Whoever said Bigbeat was dead has not seen Cut Le Rock.

More surprising was the fact that the crowd appeared to lap it up. People were jumping about and cheering as he dropped track after track of happy, funky party music. I’m sure that both he and the crowd could have kept going all night, but unfortunately the wonderful BOSE sound system there has a fatal flaw in that if the computer overheats, the sound dies, as it appeared to do around about 4:15. They played around with it for a while, but to me it looked like they wouldn’t have it fixed quickly, which was a real pity, because everyone was enjoying it immensely up until that point. Why they didn’t move Cut Le Rock immediately downstairs is a mystery, as I’m sure a lot of people, like us, took their cue to leave at that time.

This night reinforced my view that breaks is a growing scene that needs more class acts like Cut Le Rock to come and absolutely rock Adelaide to its foundations at ALL types of shows, not just clubs. The skillmanship and professionalism in the face of a technical breakdown was a joy to behold, unlike other DJ’s who have hissy fits and swear never to come back. He took it firmly in his stride, assisted where he could, and chatted to fans and let people take photos with a laugh and a smile that is refreshing to see from an international DJ. I for one can’t wait to see him again, and suggest that you do too.

inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

Groove Armada

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Groove Armada @ Thebarton Theatre 26/03/2003
It’s funny how the scene in Adelaide works. Drum ‘n’ Bass and Hard House are nearly all we get to hear. Every rave we have has two main rooms devoted to these two styles, and house, breaks and techno gets shoved together in the back room, if we’re lucky. Anything that’s near downtempo or triphop is left out all together, as if it wasn’t a part of the dance music scene at all. If this is the case, then how come an act like Groove Armada is so popular and can sell-out Thebby Theatre? Is it simply because Groove Armada are [i]that [/i]good that they transcend the normal notions of dance music, and provide entertainment for a larger cross section of the community? These are the questions that flooded my brain as I entered the gracious old Thebby Theatre.
DJ Jason Bye, from the UK, or so the hand written line-up signs said, was playing a nice mix of old and new triphop stuff, but I missed most of his set as I fought to get to and from the incredibly packed bar. It seems Adelaide likes to drink on a Wednesday night. Expertly guiding our selves to the front of the stage (I love having short, cute, female friends), we were in a prime position to see Groove Armada strut their stuff. Starting with my favourite “Chicago” from Vertigo, they proceeded to play a blend of their old stuff interspersed with their new stuff. Their new album appears to be a lot more ‘rockier’, and this is reflected in the way the guys jumped up and down on stage, rocking their axes like they were Oasis, on more than a few occasions.
I liked the way that their older tunes were remixed to suit the live performance. The guitar and bass were emphasised, and live drums and percussion replaced the digitally sampled drums on most tunes, displaying the fact that live electronic music has come of age quite quickly. I recall seeing similar acts in the past having a whole heap of trouble keeping up with synths and so on, but Groove Armada were very tight, very crisp, and performed incredibly well. The visuals behind the band were very eye catching and perfectly in synch, much like the band. They performed quite a few of their favourites, such as “At The River” and “My Friend”, but “I see you Baby” was played as a sample on the end of one of their new tunes. The finale of “Super Stylin” was much appreciated by the crowd, even getting a “live” rewind, as the MC took it back to the top.
It was a little disappointing that they only played an hour and a half. I would have liked to see them play a longer set, and a do a little more with their act. They were good, well polished, but perhaps a little too polished as they were much the same as I saw them at Vibes on A Summers Day a year ago. Although they included the newer songs off their latest album, they were pretty much the same as then, which for me was a little disapointing. Still, they are a class act, and the Adelaide crowd really seemed to enjoy it, and that’s what it’s all about. And perhaps the sell out crowd shows that Adelaide isn’t all about the dichotic relationship of dnb and hard house after all.

inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

break in traffic

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Pushing the envelope once again, Traffic proves its willingness to present something above and beyond the normal clubbing experience managing to lure Adelaide out of its sleepy shell to witness of the best nights I’ve had clubbing in a long time! Again the people who claim hiphop and breaks do not have a strong following in Adelaide are proven beyond a doubt that they are wrong, which can only be good news for all lovers of fine music in this fine city.
When I arrived I found that there was a line up, which rather surprised me. After the lacklustre turnout for the opening of traffic, I thought that maybe Adelaide *was* too small to support hiphop and breaks. But, thankfully I am wrong. I entered and was greeted by the sounds of DJ Riddla, one of the most under rated DJ’s in Adelaide. This guy is GOOD, and it’s just a shame he doesn’t get heard more often. He was playing a blend of older, funkier breakbeat tunes, which was refreshing to hear and mixed expertly well. Next to step up were Stephen King and Reflux, warming up the crowd by showing a few tricks of their own. My only gripe about the whole evening was that during a good portion of their set I was outside trying to get to the teller machine, and then was stuck at the bar.
However, it was obvious who the crowd were waiting for, The Scratch Perverts. On the attack from the beginning, they simply didn’t let up with the amazing tricks they can pull. Starting with “Party” hiphop, they rocked the crowd, simply dazzling us with the speed of their cutting and scratching. And they didn’t just stick to playing well-known hiphop, they played a couple of DJ Shadow tracks (to which the crowd went mental) and a few classic Ninja Tune tracks including a great bit of mixing between Mr Scruff and Roots Manuva. Then they had to go and ruin it by playing drum and bass… only joking 🙂 The D&B they played was pumping and energetic, and fitted in with the mood of the crowd. They returned to playing hiphop, and as a wind down played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana, which almost turned the floor into a moshpit and was incredibly cheeky of the boys. From the vantage point of the second floor it was impossible to be anything but impressed with the way they mixed and scratched, and it’s no wonder they’ve won so many hiphop battles both individually and as a team.
Following them must have been a monumental task, but luckily Krafty Kuts was up to it, and he managed to hold the dance floor

inthemix.com.au, Review, Video Games, Writing

MechWarrior 4 Mercenaries

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Having not played a Mech game since Mechwarrior 2 (which came out in 1996!), I was a little apprehensive when I received this game. How can I compare it to the latest Mechwarrior games? I don’t have a joystick, so how can I play it properly? I didn’t even have the instruction booklet due to a mix up in the office. Luckily, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries has a brilliant tutorial and hasn’t changed too much from the earlier games in its controls, so I was up and blasting other huge walking tanks in a matter of no time. While it looks a little dated, it’s still an exciting game where massive walking tanks slog it out in a variety of different planetary terrains for fame and fortune.
From what I remember of MW2, you went from planet to planet fighting for your Clan trying to reclaim your right to land / planets / whatever. In MechWarrior 4: the year is now 3063, and you’re hotshot pilot who was involved in the FedCom Civil War. You’ve paid your dues and now are ready to make some cash by joining one of the four Mercenary groups -The Kell Hounds, Wolf’s Dragoons, The Northwind Highlanders, or the Grey Death Legion. Joining a group means you get different mechs and weapons and supposedly different missions, but I played two different groups, albeit not the whole way through, and didn’t notice any difference in the missions. As you progress through the different missions, you’ll find yourself drawn into the story, as every mission you do gives you points with the major players in the universe, and eventually siding with one of the warring factions, Steiner or Davion, which leads to one of two final outcomes.
You start off with a lance of 3 people of varying skills plus yourself, plus 4 light Mechs. As you progress through the missions you gain more money, and more salvage, which includes weapons and Mech chassis. Between missions, you can add or remove people from your pilot roster, replacing any pilots that may have died or hire new ones to form a second lance, as well as buy and sell chassis and weapons on the “Free Market”. You can add different weapons to your chassis in the Mechlab, but you’ve got to manage the heat production and armour as well as electronic anti-combat measures, otherwise you’ll have a huge chunk of metal that keeps shutting down every time you fire. You’ve got to be careful with your money as well, as travelling from star system to star system costs money, as does landing on a planet, and you have to pay your pilots and maintenance costs. I found it relatively easy to keep track of my money though, and a quick sale of a heavy or assault Mech usually gets you enough C-bills to last another mission.
The missions are pretty fast and furious. None of this walking around trying to find checkpoints, you’re pretty much thrown straight into the thick of things. The gameplay is exciting, as you can be battling many other Mechs at a time. Success is achieved through good piloting and aim, as well as tactical use of your Lancemates. Often the success or failure of a mission comes down to the choice of Mechs with appropriate weapons and the level of skill your pilots have achieved. The AI is pretty good, with Lancemates generally staying out of your way, and using long range weapons when they are meant to, and the Opponent AI is also quite clever, although their aim didn’t seem to be as good, and they tend to get confused if they’re outnumbered firing randomly at each target rather than concentrating on just one opponent.
Missions tend to fall into 2 categories – Search / Destroy and Protect / Escort. You can take a breather from the missions to battle gladiator style on Solaris VII, which earns you fame and money, and trains you for online battle. Online battle is a lot of fun, but I STRONGLY suggest you get a joystick… the campaign mode can be won with out one, but you will be WAY too slow for online battle. I had some troubles connecting through the game’s online interface, but no problems connecting through msn.zone.com, the “official” place to play, and I never had trouble finding people to play against.
This games sound is good, the blasts and rat-a-tat-tat of your Mechs AutoCannons sounding pretty realistic, but the in-game music is pretty average techno-rock. Even more of a let down is the graphic engine, being a few years old it really doesn’t stand up to today’s standards. Trees simply disintegrate when you walk into them, and the Mechs themselves just get a little blacker when you pound them with your numerous weapons – no bullet riddled hunks of metal here. It doesn’t take away too much from the game, it just makes it seem like you’re playing a game that came out two years ago.
All in all, MechWarrior 4 – Mercenaries is an excellent game. although its graphic engine is a real let down compared to other games that have come out recently. If you’re a fan of the genre you won’t be too let down, and if you’ve never played a previous incarnation of the game you wouldn’t know any different. The micromanagement of your lances and resources and finances certainly makes the game a lot more interesting and involving, and of course, you’re walking around in huge, heavily armed robot tanks blowing the bejesus out of other huge robots, and what could be more fun than that?
7.5/10
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inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

Traffic Opening Night

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Traffic Opening Night: Adelaide
Finally, a club for ravers that caters for ALL styles of music across the spectrum of dance music. A club that looks like it will re-energise the weekly scene and offer something new, especially to those of us who are a little bored with the dichotomy of Drum and Bass and Hard Trance. The opening night was a showcase of the emerging scenes of Adelaide –Breaks and Progressive House.
Although both scenes have been well represented in Adelaide for a few years now, they are nowhere near as popular as in other parts of Australia, nor are they as popular as they should be. By officially opening the club with these styles Traffic has signified its intention to alter the perception of these styles from side-lining “other room” music to be major players in the dance music scene in Adelaide. Unfortunately the opening night of Traffic was also the night that Derrick May was re-scheduled to, the night after Clarky, two nights after a Christmas night that featured Bukem, and 3 nights before New Years. Thus, the small turn out was probably understandable.
Despite the lack of size of the crowd the DJ’s were still as professional as ever, and rocked the crowd wickedly. I’m not a big fan of Progressive House, but DJ Mal was playing a rather decent set when we arrived, mixed exceptionally well, that had me tapping my foot on more than the odd occasion. Then Brendan stepped up to the decks. I expected more Progressive, but to my surprise he dropped some breaks. Very happy, I moved to the dance floor to find it all but empty! Oh Adelaide! Why must you be afraid of anything new? Brendan did a good job, playing some slower, girly breaks that complemented Mal’s set very well, rolling into heavier styles such as Raw As Fuck’s “theme from RAW” and Stereo 8’s “Get Above Yourself”, proving that his talents *can* be used for the forces of Good :).
DJ Tayo followed Brendan, bringing the tempo down and funking it up a notch. Having seen him play earlier this year at Vibes, I expected something a little different to what we got. He played it a lot funkier and a lot more “electro” than the usual harder breakbeat style I’ve heard him play, but it suited the mood of the clubbers perfectly. In the past he seemed to play more of the better-known tunes but much of the music he played I haven’t heard before, and I’m not complaining… I thoroughly enjoyed hearing such an amazing DJ mix new tunes so incredibly well. I though a lot of the music had an “eighty’s” sound, in particular the synth sounds, without the kitschiness and arrogance of electroclash. This was backed up by some tremendous remixes of some of the bigger breaks tunes such as the Stanton Warrior’s “Virus” and newer stuff by the likes of Plump DJ’s and the Drumattical Twins.
The sound at Traffic is rather thunderous, but it means it can be heard right through the club, so you can enjoy it from dancing in front of the stage or sitting upstairs on a comfy couch. It was a wise move closing the top section half way through the night, as I realised the club wasn’t as empty as I thought it was. It was very unfortunate that Derrick May had was on at the same time – it meant that a lot of people missed out on seeing a great DJ who exists because of his skill, missed out hearing different music both in style and genre, and missed out on a terrifically friendly atmosphere. Traffic has so much to offer with its weekly Friday dnb nights, it’s varied format Saturdays, and internationals such as Matrix and Fierce, the Scratch Perverts and Krafty Kuts, and CJ Bolland, it’s a shame that the opening night wasn’t as big as it ought to have been.

inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

Altitude II

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After a bit of confusion to where it was (they moved it downstairs because funkstrung were upstairs) we proceeded to get comfy in the basement of Minke, as once again Altitude showcased the finest dnb talent Adelaide has to offer. This month we were witness to the highest quality dnb made in Adelaide, that by Hooligan Soul, who are the well known MC’s Pab and G-Swift (aka Grif). While I’m still unconvinced that the world “live” is really applicable to these guys, as I still have trouble seeing a guy behind a computer pressing the spacebar as “live”, their performance is fantastic and their tracks are simply going to blow up big time!
When I arrived we were greeted by the cool sounds of Jayar. This guy is finally bringing some change to the way Adelaide listens to dnb, and I strongly suggest you give his CD a listen. Then Hooligan Soul commenced their mellow set. There was a rather small crowd about, and once the guys started playing people ventured out onto the floor. Their first set was comprised of a variety of smooth tunes, and Grif MC’d over the top of the tunes while Pab played with the effects and levels. It was refreshing to hear a dnb set that doesn’t contain the same old tunes as everyone else for once.
After them stepped up Tommy Jnr, who is one of my favourite dnb DJ’s, who doesn’t get nearly enough gigs for his talent, and he dropped a very sweet selection in his smooth as ever style. Miss Ribbon and I had the opportunity to go upstairs and see Funkstrom, and I didn’t let the opportunity pass, but wasn’t too impressed, and got back in time for Hooligan Souls last set.
Well, this time there were a lot more people around and the boys decided to go harder. They have got some AMAZINGLY phat basslines over the chunkiest beats you’ll hear, and had everyone in the place bouncing to their sound. Being the MC’s they are, Pab and Grif couldn’t resist going back-to-back being one of the highlights of the night. The other highlight was definitely the Fat Boy Slim Bootleg, which I hear is getting released, which is excellent news not only for the boys, but for Adelaide as well.
For me the night finished up with John Doe, again playing a fine selection of tunes in his uncompromising style. With Hooligan Soul, along with 5158 Records and Bigdog, Adelaide is finally getting its act together and it’s about bloody time. For years I’ve heard great tunes made by these guys, and it’s looking like they’re finally going to get the recognition they deserve.

Event, Interview, inthemix.com.au, Music, Writing

Inbound

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Inbound has been an Adelaide institution for the last 5 years. Coming out of a total love for the music, Fiction and Filter provided the first pure drum and bass party organised and run by pure drum and bass heads for all “the bad boys and bad girls”.

“To start with our idea was to get our mates who we thought had talent to play out”, says Filter. “We wanted to do pure drum and bass party,” adds Fiction. “Other crews did do drum and bass nights, but they weren’t solely drum and bass promoters”.

When asked who are the Inbound crew, the answer is a core of Fiction and Filter, Luke B, Evn, Tommy Jnr, and MC’s Pab, Xpress and Grif, but caries on to encompass most of the drum and bass djs in Adelaide. “It’s an everyone thing” exclaims Fiction, “but we’ve got that core crew – they not necessarily the biggest names in Adelaide, but the combination of the DJ’s and the music they play that’s what makes Inbound unique to anything else”. “It’s what makes us tick,” adds Filter, “they work well together and the crowd feels it”.

With these guys the phrase “all about the music” keeps coming up time and again, and if you’ve been to an inbound show you know that it really is. The DJ’s and crowd are “educated about the music. It’s not about taking this or getting drunk or picking up. Everyone’s there to hear fresh tunes, feel a great vibe and know that they’re going to get a good quality night”. This attitude carries across to their choice of interstate and international acts such as Bailey (UK) and Mosus (NZ). “You know that these guys are really into the music and want to educate people whereas other DJ’s just come over and play the big anthems and it’s all about the money and being famous”.

The latest party is also the launch of www.inbound-sound.com, the official website. “These days you need a website to be taken seriously” says Fiction. “It’s going to be a site for people to find out about up and coming parties, and for people to find out what all the hype is about”. It will feature exclusive mixes, tunes, and a DJ Management page, so up and coming and established DJ’s can network to get gigs.

Supporting new and different DJ’s has always been inbounds goal, and the next inbound on Saturday November 16th will feature the first in the “Future Forces” series, with Run Tough and Rueben. “Expect these guys to tear up the floor with the regulars!” exclaims Filter enthusiastically. So, if you’re into drum and bass and are looking for something that’s different from the norm, head down to the Crown and Sceptre this Saturday night from 9pm. I can promise you won’t be disappointed!

inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

Stardust

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Stardust had a HUGE line up of the best DJ’s in the world, and we weren’t disappointed one little bit! After enduring a 20 minute queue, (which I found out later I could have bi-passed) I headed straight for the Fabric stage (breaks room) to see Phil K, one of Australia’s finest breaks DJs. I’ve seen Phil tear it up in Melbourne, and was interested to see how he’d fair here. I was rather disappointed at first, as he was playing a very mellow kind of breaks – slow with girly vocals. It would have been great at about 6 in the morning, but not at midnight when you want the party to get started! His style changed thankfully, and he pulled out some awesome new breaks tunes that tore up the floor and got everybody dancing.
Then stepped in Adam Freeland. Perhaps the greatest DJ in the world at the moment. He started out playing some rather tech-house kind of stuff, but with that unmistakable breakbeat sound. It got to about 2am, and everyone bailed to see Andy C, but they should have stayed to see Adam Freeland really shine. He dropped some of the funkier breakbeat ala Finger Lickin’, and really got the crowd moving. I’m still amazed at his seamless mixing on 3 decks and 2 CD players, his incredibly timed but understated scratching, and his wonderful crowd reading abilities. Just as you were thinking “he’s getting kind of mellow” he’d crank it up and get you up and jumping, waving your hands in the air.
After Adam Freeland I headed straight to the dnb area to see Andy C. I had heard a lot of hype about this guy, and wanted to see if he was really “all that”. After seeing him I must say he’s one of the best dnb acts I’ve seen this year. His mixing is very smooth, and he didn’t allow technical hitches like jumping needles faze him. He had the crowd going wild, and is one of those DJ’s who actually looks like he’s enjoying himself. His set was a blend of old and new tunes, which had me liking it, as I was afraid I wouldn’t know any of the tunes and wouldn’t get into it as much. MC GQ sounded as though he was rather horse, but he still ripped up the microphone.
At about quarter to 5 I thought I had about an hour of Andy C left, so went for a wander. I headed back to the Fabric stage to see Chris Fortier. He was Ok, but the music was rather slow after Andy C, so I did something I haven’t done before… I checked out the Hard House room. I was kind of hoping to see Lab 4, but I obviously missed them, but DJ Odyssey was on the stage, and I actually found myself dancing to his set!!! Alarming, I know, but it was just the right kind of tempo I was looking for. I can’t say I’d do it again, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn’t as cheesy as I thought it would be.
I headed back upstairs to find a rather empty dnb room, and then realised that Andy C was no longer playing. I was very disappointed that I missed the last of his set, but glad I had made the most of my evening. It’s been a very long time I’ve wanted to stay at a party until daybreak, but the evening seemed to rush by and I was rather surprised to see dawn quickly approaching as I started to leave. It was an amazing night, one of the best I’ve had in quite a long time, and I look forward to the next one.

inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

Altitude

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I have a reputation for disliking dnb. I don’t HATE it, but I think most of the new stuff is too hard and repetitive and well, boring. I think that too many DJ’s play the same stuff and it all sounds the same. Maybe I’m just showing my age! However, I’m pretty open minded, and when the opportunity to review Altitude at it’s new home of Minke’s Skylab came up, I jumped at the chance. I missed previous shows, but heard rumours of “intelligent drum’n’bass” being played there, and some of my favourite DJ’s were on the bill, so I thought “what the heck!”
The crowd wasn’t huge but there was a nice and intimate vibe and they certainly were up for it. I arrived after the ITM party (which seemed slow to start), but I was astonished to see a fair amount of people boogieing down to Mark 7 at around midnight. He played a set that was much harder than what I was expecting for an “intelligent” drum’n’bass show, but there were no complaints from the crowd. DJ Fiction followed him up extremely well, steadily bringing the pace back a few notches, but holding the dance floor well. I was very pleasantly surprised not to hear the same tunes repeated, again proving to me that Adelaide dnb DJ’s are not to be underestimated.
Then Motive came on. WOW! The stuff he played was the stuff this jaded raver realises he loves – nice, boppy feel, kinda funky and jazzy, but not so much to make you fall asleep. Stuff you can get you up and shake your ass to on the floor or just sit back and nod ya head to. His mixing was very smooth, and it was good to hear tunes that don’t get much play here in a “prime-time” spot. Through all this the one and only MC Grif accompanied the DJ’s. This guy is, in Miss Ribbon’s words, “a machine”. He was up there busting rhymes the whole time, hyping the crowd, a true performer!
The sound was pretty good… although it sounded like they forgot to switch something on, and half way through fictions’ set it got decidedly better. Not louder – crisper and fuller – and my ears weren’t ringing for days afterwards. The live visuals were a nice touch, but they were obscured in the most part, which I thought was a real pity because there were some very interesting things going on, on that screen.
This night made me realise that Adelaide is a little spoilt for dnb. We’ve got the finest local DJ’s and MC’s, and promoters who bring over the best acts from interstate and overseas and who are willing to do something a little different every now and then. I guess I’ve been taking it for granted, and needed a quality night to show me just how good dnb can be, and Altitude was it!