As I walked up and cloaked a few belongings I could hear Tiefschwarz’s remix of “Kinda New”. What a way to start things off! I entered through the rotating doors at a little after 11pm, the smiling, enthusiastic crowd were already filling the dance area for Ajax, who followed with Tiga’s remix of  the Martini Bros’ “Big and Dirty” putting an even bigger smile on my face.

The crowd consisted of folks from all walks of life, styles and ages. As the night progressed, the crowd remained friendly, respectful of each others space and constantly cheering on the DJs and getting into the music. The amazing sound at Arq contributed to the overall appeal of the night with the right volume to still be able to have a conversation.

After Ajax, Bleepin’ Jay Squawkins appeared on another stage along with two girls in little dresses, silver wigs, knee high boots and little alien antennas. These guys played a much more 80s, slower electro than I’m used to which was complemented by an amusing dance/performance from the oddly dressed girls. It’s always wicked to witness live music being made, with weird synthesized noises coming from a word into a microphone and the likes.

John Wall was on next and while no one seemed to have seen his name on the bill, his contribution was well received by the crowd and especially by me when he dropped one of my personal favorites LeTigre’s “Deceptacon” (DFA rmx). By this stage, the club was pretty packed with still enough room to move.

The crowd buzzed while waiting for the Detroit Grand Pubahs to take the stage. Prior to this event, I had heard several stories about things these guys had done during their gigs, all of which are believable having seen them play now. I noticed a very ugly, scary man busying himself behind the decks. After staring a little longer, a light passed over his face and I realized he was wearing a rubber monster mask (one half on the Detroit Grand Pubahs). Next, his partner in crime jumped up in combat uniform, a big black curly wig and massive, long beard to match. He held all necessary equipment; a microphone in one hand and a bottle of Jack Daniels in the other.

The music was intermittent which prevented any sort of flow from their “set” but I don’t think that was an intention of theirs. With a constant call for their renowned track, “Sandwiches” they threw it on to finish off their time on stage. The crowd involvement and enthusiasm from these Detroiters kept the high energy levels in the place but I have to say I didn’t particularly get into their music. But the sheer comic value of seeing the front man pour decent amounts of Jack Daniels into people’s glasses and mouths (his own included) made up for that.

The electro-connoisseur Larry Tee was on next, who really rocked the place. At first he played some steppy basslines and house-infused electro which the crowd seemed to respond well to. He proceeded to echo Ajax with “Big and Dirty” and “Kinda New”. The crowd was thriving and seemed to, like me, welcome the continuous music. He dropped a mix of “Tainted Love” that I would LOVE to hear more of around the traps! It had the maddest build up/break down that got  many arms in the air.

Larry Tee continued to spin well known pop songs with a solid injection of electro, such as Madonna’s “Vogue”, Nirvana’s “Smells like Teen Spirit” (not the usual mix heard out) and the melody of Eurhythmics “Sweet Dreams” combined with something else that I couldn’t pick. As much as I enjoyed Larry Tee’s set, he didn’t really mix the records together as such, which prevented the development of any fluidity once again.

By about 4am, I was ready to call it a night and was thoroughly impressed at the evening. Awesome venue, excellent crowd and something different in the music department. I commend the Buzzy Freaks (AKA Fuzzy Breaks) for using their position in the promoter-world to try something different. I hope to see more events like this!