When people talk about old school, some people think of day glow outfits, white cloves and the Prodigy. That was the scene outside the venue adjacent to Geisha Bar where Theo Parrish was due to play later that evening. The people I passed in the street were lining up outside the other venue for a fully-siiiik-Nik-Skitz night out with their shirts off and leg warmers in abundance. It was painfully obvious to me that many people who are into this thing we call “dance music” are yet to venture past the pasteurised and homogenised product that the experience has become. Hey before I get a glow stick thrown at me, I am guilty of this kind of behaviour too as for me until the mid 1990’s that was my definition of the old school aesthetic until I dug a little deeper into the ancestry of the music and the movement that has enveloped most of my adult life and that of youth culture. Needless to say despite my raving experience I never ripped my shirt off for fear of people having to wear sunglasses at night (this was trendy at some point right?) bringing new meaning to Vanilla Ice’s immortal pop line of “turn off the lights and I’ll glow”. The leg warmers well, only if it’s a bedroom and on her birthday ;)

 

It takes more than just good mixing and popular records to keep me interested and the DJs I want to listen to are the people that have innovative ability to blend sounds and influences from left to right, music with feeling and keep me dancing like Lionel Richie… cue two of his songs … “all night long” AND “on the ceiling”.  There are a number of DJs from Chicago and Detroit that I have had the pleasure of hearing over the years such as Frankie Knuckles, Steve “Silk” Hurley, Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Derrick Carter, Alton Miller, Green Velvet/Cajmere who, rather than turning out

Mixmags top 20 (insert genre) anthems; have played sets that have something old, something new and a few unexpected detours thrown in leaving me thinking “ok you have my attention and jaw on the ground”.  Having witnessed how the above DJs play to inspire crowds, a name that occasionally gets mentioned as apart of that Chicago/Detroit stable is Theo Parrish.

 

Like most of these guys there are many stories, truths and half truths about what makes them so special you only have to decide whether or not you feel his influences which consist of Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone along with many of his contemporise listed previously to get an idea of what his set may sound like. So when I heard that (unlike Santas annual visits) Theo Parrish is coming to town, I got my ass along to find out where he is coming from and also explore the roots of modern day house music.

 

The Geisha Bar opens at 11pm and first up was Nic Tan who apart from being a very talented DJ also hosts his FLAVOURS events at the same venue where the world of Decknitians meet the live Jazz musicians (visit www.quantumlounge.net for next party). Now this is a big call, but courtesy of a friend of mine I have heard live recordings of the legendary Larry Levan from Paradise Garage where he would mix disco, soul, jazz and African beats together, this is the best way to describe Nics’ approach to his set by moving from a number of tempos and vibes seamlessly. Sometimes beat mixing and other times blending but always keeping the flow perfect for the crowd which was starting to get in the mood. When he dropped a QUALITY r and b track (not to be confused with pop hop) it was DJ Cee, who was definitely not driving Miss Daisy, ran to the console and said tauntingly “I didn’t know you played r n b” to which Nic laughed and said “I don’t, I play everything”... Shutdown! Take a seat but all in good fun.   

 

With Nics’ last record up stepped Ben Taaffe who played a set that matched the variety of Nics’ and seemed to have a purple patch for the first 30 minutes of his set by dropping down tempo Paradise Garage influenced funk tracks. The standout being Candido – Thousand Fingered Men that featured a piano hook that caught my attention and also the crowd, judging by the movement from bar to dance floor convergence. The only criticism of the his set would be the middle part where the vibe seemed disjointed as the vibe went up and down almost from track to track. But despite my wanker chin stroking comments, Ben returned to form in the lead up to Theos’ set with a bubbling dance floor in full effect and done with such different and innovative sounds.

 

Having been introduced to Theo early on in the night he seemed pre-occupied and not in a social mood which I hoped was not a reflection of how he was going to play. However as soon as he dropped this first record it was apparent he was letting go of any mood or inhibition he might have had as he seemed to ride every single sound of the music he was playing. In fact there were times when we looked up and saw him rolling his eyes in the back of his head which could be misconstrued as something far too common in the music scene, but my conclusion based on his philosophy and attitude to music (go to his website www.soundsignature.info) it was that he is a very spiritual person who was getting in touch with the sound like a big ol diva in church on Sundays who might get caught up so much she gotta stand up and sing. It was clear Parrish wanted to forget about everything except making us dance and with the vibe in the room going up 3 fold it was time to jack with his first cut being a long forgotten Latin house favourite from which Parrish built on for the first part of his set.

 

Then came the first of several interludes into musical territory that we do not often get a chance to hear on a sound system the calibre of Geisha. You could call it African, World or South American music but it definitely was unique and kept this music fan guessing. It would seem that Parrish, in the vein of so many great DJs, was building up the party, twisting the vibe around and then shifting gears so that rather than “gowinofflikafroginasockmaaaaaaate” for a whole 5 hours we were treated to an Forrest Gump box of choc – o – lates and never new what we were gunna git next. This  approach to DJing is brilliant when you can pull it off as you and the crowd really feel like it’s a ride expressing a whole range of emotions but at times it may alienate an audience.

 

There were times during his set that it approached alienation to the majority who may only appreciate straight up house beats as he dropped some real abstract sounds for extended periods. An example of this was the his ventures into Jazz which for me can be very emotionally introspective and in those moments on a modern dance floor if its not accompanied by strong house or broken beats, its seems to get lost or scare lots of people. My observation that these interludes created a situation where instead of looking around the room at others confidently dancing around with flailing arms and legs to the standard jacking house beats, some patrons looked uncertain and uncomfortable as most people just stood enjoying it so much they were too busy listening to the piece of music to share what’s on in their head. To his credit he would end these interludes by breaking right down into a single solo instrument that created refreshingly beautiful moments that was both musically simple while providing a stark contrast to the primal house feel that purveyed the majority of his set.

 

Musically this night was a plethora of sounds for the discerning musical palate provided you had an existing penchant for soul and modern dance music. Having seen many Perth DJs in attendance at the event along with my music obsessed friends it was truly a night of fun that was refreshing given the enthusiasm from both the performer and the people in attendance.

 

Theo, like most quality house DJs adhere to the belief that through music you can have a spiritual experience and moments of personal insight through reflection. One thing that I came away with from the performance was the point in his set where he played a vocal that went on about “being natural”. Now I can critique Theo, Nic and Bens performances however the music they all played came across as an honest and personal love of those sounds. They shared cuts we know intimately and cuts that could be considered abstract but as artists they were being true to their nature. Witnessing freedom like that is refreshing but also essential for life beyond turntables.

 

Many thanks to Geisha, Deep City and those people who helped me chin stoke and reflect on the evening with lots of talking and more importantly dancing.

 

Adam Kelly

Perth

WA

 

For more info about the performers and venue check out the following sites:

 

www.soundsignature.info

www.quantumlounge.net

www.geishabar.com.au