Mad Decent Block Party – Aug 31st – Club Zouk – Dallas, TX
On a roll, getting to end the month with my fourth higher-profile DJ gig, making this one of the most succesful periods for me Dj-wise ever.
A coulple of artists had cancelled so I got a last minute call to DJ early in the day. Now given my experience its still worth documenting that there are plenty of reasons why you wouldn’t want to go to an EDM festival.
There are drugs literally everywhere, devastating temperatures, glow sticks and, in this case, 6,500 people. Mostly youths in the 18-22 set, dancing in their underwear & fur boots and on drugs. Dudes with blinder-shades frantically asking if you have drugs, or know who can give them drugs. They make you worry about them and where they may end up at the end of the night.
This live music experience is so specific to this particular moment in pop culture, that it’s kinda worth braving the elements just to see the spectacle.
My start time was a quarter to six thankfully to keep my time in the unbearable heat as minimal as possible. Below the Interstate 35 overpass, across the street from Zouk, a teeming cesspool of bad decisions and day-glo everything radiated with sweat and body glitter. The people were enthusiastic however and responded in kind and were very nice to me afterwards which made it a redeemable and enjoyable experience in an otherwise questionable atmosphere.
A fun moment came at the end of Flosstradamus‘ set, when he abruptly cut his audio altogether after a buildup that had the crowd tranced out and ready for a heavy dance break to rave out to, and hit play on Lana Del Ray’s Video Games – A pretty solid move, and gave me relief that this scene does indeed have a somewhat self-aware sense of humor.
It was a short-lived high note, spoiled when I heard that one of the cancellations was Queens rapper Action Bronson. I spent some time in the thick of the crowd for most of Dillon Francis’ set, if for no other reason than for the irresistible people-watching opportunities. I spent a short time talking to a group of really fun and super-cute girls that make up the wait-staff of a local breastaraunt called Redneck Haven who’s title alone should not require any additional explanation.
Along came Major Lazer with confetti cannons, crowd participation and Diplo walking over the crowd in a giant plastic bubble, bringing an element of showmanship usually lost in live EDM. As I was dancing with a group of girls – I can still kind of keep up with this crowd, I just have a higher standard for live entertainment, and I’m not apologetic about that. Nor was this crowd – seemingly fearless and girls just going crazy everywhere –
Miley Cyrus is a celebrated cult figure in this scene and is looked upon as someone who is doing everything right just by simply getting the most attention. Having introduced the rest of the world recently to the word Twerk it only fueled would-be twerkers enthusiasm.
For those that don’t know this won’t take much explaining –
Below is text-example of girls Twerking during the always theatric, Major Lazer’s headlining set.
Now if your the DJ viewing this, it can keep you held in a state of elation that isn’t at all drug-induced, but other than just having a really practical view of a row of girls’ asses..what is the point of this?
What if your not in direct view? To those watching Twerking it looks profoundly pointless and makes about as much sense as Planking did.
…and what if your the girl Twerking? You can’t possibly dance in this position, holding this pose must be physically painful, and your sight isn’t anywhere you can enjoy or recognize anyone enjoying your efforts – how is this fun for you?
The answer lies in the Miley Cyrus principle – Only a certain type of ass is considered Twerk-worthy and only that ass is considered worth having – so to this crowd if your up there Twerking, its because you were chosen for having the right ass. Do you see what kind of no-fun humilation girls will go through just for acceptance?
But inspite of the bro-ness and the drugs and the heat, its also a place where people just wanna go and lose their shit and dance in their underwear and there has never been anything wrong with that.
Photos –
Roy Turner
Paul Wilkins
Tony Wann
Dale Benvenuto
IAMX – May 7th – Trees – Dallas, TX
You ever find yourself falling in love with a band but right at the wrong time? – Meaning that you discover them only to find out that they broke up earlier that year or even sooner. Way back in 1996 I remember walking past this same club with my friend Patrick (see Rush story above) on our way to see Man or Astroman down the street and seeing a line wrapped around the buliding. I called out to no one in particular – “Who’s playing here tonight?” – A chorus of “the Sneaker Pimps!” rained down on me.
I just shrugged, never heard of them, and it sounded like a dumb name to me. I was also still in that young foolish stage where if I (the almighty) haven’t heard of it, it doesn’t really count, as compared to once you establish maturity, if you haven’t heard of something it peaks your interest.
Ok whatever, I still don’t regret going to that Man or Astroman show instead – however….
When I heard the single 6 Underground on the radio and heard Kelli Ali’s voice for the first time (and then saw what she looked like) I was mesmerized. I was (and still am) heavily into Portishead and this fit my sensibilites perfectly. It just felt like something so new, what would be labled as Trip-Hop by the press and I wanted to be a part of it. I made it a point to get their LP, Becoming X, that day and it became a part of my freaking existence ever since. I still listen to it weekly.
Ok, so I needed to see this for myself in person only to discover that they like broke up like the day after that show I passed on. Fuck.
Fast forward a few years and while I’m running an independent record store I start seeing Sneaker Pimps imports on the buy sheet of new material and totally freak out.
I get my hands on everything I can, rip them open as soon as I get them and rush to the CD player, only to discover that Kelli Ali is not singing on any of it.
Information wasn’t exchanged (at least not for me) at lightening speeds back then so I had no idea that she was asked to leave the band after that first tour.
The stuff I was hearing with principle songwriter Chris Corner singing, definitely wasn’t bad and I enjoyed it but it wasn’t Kelli and I was too disspointed to see past that and enjoy the records for what they were.
Over the next five years I think I had tickets to see this version of the Sneaker Pimps at least four times with them cancelling due to visa troubles and sometimes even at the very last minute. I was still chasing not seeing that show at Trees all those years ago.
Now fast forward from 2002 to 2011 I had all but forgotten about them other my still daily spinnings of Becoming X – when a friend in NYC who knew I was really into them, gave me a demo tape he had called SP4, that was supposed to be their fourth LP but was never released. I knew Kelli Ali wasn’t on it but was still curious as to how it sounded and not for nothing, but it was cool my friend gave this to me, the least I could do was listen.
What followed entranced me like nothing they had done since Becoming X with or without Ali, and in fact I was so enraptured I listened to almost nothing else the year I got it. Just enthralled by it.
I soon learned that most of the material later surfaced in produced form as Chris Corner’s solo project under the name IAMX on their first LP Kiss & Swallow – an album that came out way back in 2004 that I could have been enjoying all this time along with several other LPs he’s released under that name since.
Ok all I had to do was wait – and when I saw we were gonna be in the same town at the same time – I was ready.
I get to Trees – Alone and on a week night – The place wasn’t exactly empty, about 150 people up around the stage who’s enthusiasm more than made up for the lack of attendance.
.
However, as you can tell by the above paragraph, I am not tuned into what is cool or even present, I live in a idealized state of mind that is largely rooted in the past – so it came as a shock (when in hindsight, it most certainly shouldn’t have) to discover that the totality of this was something that I find irksome for no real rational reason.
The crowd was made up almost exclusively of goth girls with burlesque aspirations who swoon at the mere hint of a British accent.
The aspect I liked best about the Sneaker Pimps is that it’s both cerebral and libidinous at the same time. It’s a combination you don’t see too often.
However Chris Corner with his flouncy blouse & giant top hat, looking a bit like the Mad Hatter, came off as a buffoon and his attempt at seduction was laughable.
Clearly I was the ONLY ONE who thought so, because the girls ate that shit up and the more they panted the more wondered why I came and how did I not see this coming.
The show itself was entertaining, Chris and his band (featuring a super-hot keyboardist) played a set touching each of his albums including a nice extended version of Kiss and Swallow and most coming from this year’s The Unified Field.
Setlist –
Animal Impulses Sorrow
Kiss + Swallow
Kingdom of Welcome Addiction
Spit It Out
Tear Garden
My Secret Friend
Trials
The Unified Field
Cold Red Light
Walk With the Noise
Music People
The Alternative
Encore:
I Come With Knives
President
Nightlife
