Nicolas Jaar @ fabric
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I have become far too accustomed to music with around 126 beats every minute. And I have never gone into London on a midweek night and then had to go to work the next day (granted I took a half-day so only working 1pm-5pm).
So this was kind of unchartered territory but I like to get out of my musical comfort zones into something more challenging from time to time, and Nicolas Jaar really did catch my ear a year or more ago, with his track, Time For Us, buckets of emotion and more twists – far away from my usual preferences of Cocoon (who I am obsessed with, and I love it that way), Crosstown Rebels, Visionquest…and many many other labels that I don’t have at the top of my head…but house/minimal/techno stuff…you know what I mean.
I went with my good friend, Matt Powell, who is actually quite an accomplished DJ though will never shout about it and will probably take a baseball bat to my head for promoting him, but hey, I like to share what I believe is good music, good DJs, etc with anyone who is willing to listen. And plays vinyl. Crazy stuff.
According to another blogger, the advertised warm-up DJ of Gadi Mizrahi was not in attendance, I cannot confirm this as I did not pay attention to the DJ booth (fabric kind of takes my attention away from the DJ booth, I just cannot be bothered to look at the DJ even if it is Sven), and it was apparently Soul Clap to warm-up, and close.
I like their music, I love listening to it at home, and on journeys. I don’t think I quite got into it as much as I thought I would, though I appreciate the pushing of boundaries by playing Madonna. Indeed. That isn’t to take it away from them, they did their jobs very well, as they were not the main act. I would very much like to see them in control of room 3 perhaps, or maybe even in room 1 on a Saturday though I know that is pushing it – but it doesn’t have to be fabric, just somewhere with a good intimate feel to it.
Anyway, it was Nicolas Jaar’s night.
Though, before him was Valentin Stip. I had never heard of him, or his music, and I soon found myself not wanting to be on the dancefloor, the emotion was too sad, too meloncholic for my liking – I go to nightclubs for fun. If I want to be miserable, I can go to a Wetherspoons and pick up some 50-year old whore for the night. It might have been good. I don’t know, I don’t think I am in a place to judge. I just really did not feel it, or maybe want to feel it – perhaps I should have given him longer, but there was such a good friendly crowd at fabric, that I was more interested in talking to people and meeting people. How unusual.
Nicolas Jaar was good. He didn’t blow me away. But I only like a few of his productions, love a couple and the rest don’t tickle me. I would see him again, though preferably at a concert venue, or maybe on a festival stage? And I can definitely recommend seeing him, or listening to his music. Especially the track I linked to in the second paragraph.
It was a very enjoyable night, I am very glad I went, and would do it again.
I didn’t get quite as much out of it musically as I had hoped for, but I conclude that I simply prefer music from Sven, Ricardo, Seth et al. Which is no slight whatsoever on the artists and DJs of the night, just my preference. But I will be seeing more of them. Maybe I will be converted? It took years to convert any of my friends to Cocoon!!
* I am going to write about what I am going to do in the next few weeks so if you are only interested in what I thought of my night out, you can stop reading now, though me being me I may drift into it as I do tend to waffle on and get quite off topic at times.
19th August, Innervisions present An Evening At The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari at The Roundhouse. I have wanted to go to The Roundhouse for a few years now, I have been intrigued. And I have a lot of time for Henrik Schwarz, Ame and Dixon. I don’t really know what to expect at all.
I am also going to do the Saturday of SW4. Sven is playing. Why would I say no? And I have never seen Underworld live. I don’t care who else I see, I shall just enjoy whatever I find. Well…except the trance tent. I might go see Tiga, actually. Not my cup of tea nowadays but I used to love what he did in the mid-2000’s prior to electro-house and I do like a musical challenge.
And I am quite glad that there are events in Reading that I actually want to go to. Yes, I know there are many places to have a good fun night, and Reading is a good night out, but I am a music man and I am passionate about my music so want to hear good underground music.
The outside:inside festival in the centre of Reading is a pop-up festival, so it says. I am intrigued, although initially put-off by the price of £15, however, I have good friends playing later on tomorrow (Saturday 30th) as Elsewhere, so I am feeling obliged to use some more of the overdraft I have paid off today. I am not sure about the rest of the music, but I will have good friends around. And it should be good.
And last but not least (except for your wallet as it is free!), is the Elsewhere party run by 3 very good friends in Reading. At the laidback Afro Bar, with good house music all day long and a very friendly folk inside (I should know as about 95% of them are Facebook friends…oh and real friends/pretty people that I just like to stare at) – it is just a really good day. This is Saturday 13th August. Well worth a visit, even if only for an hour – but try staying for only an hour!