Its one thing to be loudly and proudly proclaiming entertainers as consummate performers or tagging the label of ‘credible musician’ to DeeJays left right and centre, but its another thing indeed, when the cachet is called upon to demonstrate itself.

I wander through the doors of Number 12 in the Valley at about 11.30 on a Saturday night. I have wandered past these doors many times over the last year and have, unfortunately, never felt inclined to actually wander through them until I hear the momentous news that virtuosic DeeJays Scott Walker and mag00 are performing there, back to back.

The doorman is exceedingly polite and rather hospitable as he ushers me through the doors. I immediately find the décor rather appealing in spite of its ‘warehouse’ feel. The undressed brick walls are relatively inviting as I walk past them through to the actual interior of the club. It’s a very simple layout really – the DJ booth on the far left with the dance floor immediately in front and a bar to the right. The bar has some quality cocktails on offer for economical prices with industrious non-uniformed barstaff toiling behind it. The manager in particular catches my attention, because whilst it is a rather busy turnout, she has everything, her staff included, completely under control. All in all, Number 12 has a feeling of a laidback bar in business. It’s a wonderfully carefree ambience to be a part of.

The first thing I can not help but notice are the many gorgeous female creatures in attendance. They are truly in abundance. The next thing to capture my attention is Scott Walker and mag00 standing in the DJ booth, absorbed amongst the excited attentions of examples of these aforementioned magnificent creatures. Lucky boys. The unfortunate thing that reaches my ears is that the sound system is undoubtedly one of the worst systems in Brisbane. Perhaps, worse than the system in the BEC – and that is really saying something! However, this is the where the call for the true talents of any performer, be they a DeeJay, Musician or Band, are called to the forefront. If an entertainer is truly a professional and accomplished in their craft, they will bring all that skill to the vanguard and adjust. In other words, it is the craftsman and not his tools who define his very own talents. And whilst they may have had a rather difficult time of it, Scott Walker and mag00 attuned superbly. The dancefloor remained packed until about 2.30am

mag00 adjusted his sounds to the system by producing very thin bass textures and balancing them by using the toppie part of the frequencies. The end results were fairly thin and sparse textures all round, thus working well within the constraints of the venue’s system. It was a shame however, because in working to the imposed limitations, the true essence that make mag00’s sound rock – that is, pumping bass lines and phat textures oozing depth – were lost amongst the wash of the speakers. He did masterfully maintain equilibrium by ensuring the presence of penetrating frequencies, such as snare rimshots, injections of hi-hats, sharp sirens or acutely preserving mid-level beats. Using subtle melody lines, mag00 masterfully would build up textures by focussing on one background melody at a time and very slowly, bringing it to our attention as a focal point. All in all, I was well impressed with mag00. Having had the pleasure of sampling his beats many times in the past, this was one performance that convinced me mag00 is undoubtedly one of Australia’s most musically endowed DeeJays. A true craftsman to be sure.

In response, Scott Walker bought out some spectacular rhetorically-musical statements of his own. Utilising excellent variations of musical shades, Scott Walker did not pull back on textures. Rather, he simply used less prominent melodic and rhythmic lines as a background to offset his comparable beats and rhythms. This did not impact in anyway on the wonderfully thick beats and bass lines emitting from the poor speakers. They came out clear and substantial – much like the consommé soups that are served in five star restaurants. There was nothing subtle or restrained about Scott Walker’s music – it was in your face, direct and undeviating. There was also a decided 80s feel to Mr Walker’s music which wonderfully counter-balanced the sensitivity of mag00’s offerings. I often heard samples of Roland Phantom Keyboards amongst the textures, and all the while: his beats never slowed, his rhythms were never congested. Whilst such a craftsman may not have had the best tools at his disposal, his craftsmanship was apparent for the world to observe.

One final note with reference to the sound system: thanks to the magnificent efforts of this duo, the dancefloor remained packed throughout most of the night. However, it was when the punters were leaving and the dancefloor was clear that the sound magically improved. Without the many bodies to absorb the beats and textures as offered by Scott Walker and mag00, the system started to discharge a much better sound. As a result, their beats and bass lines were far heavier and penetrating. The last twenty minutes of the performance, therefore, was especially enjoyable.

It’s a remarkable thing indeed to be a Brisbanite. With reports that Australia’s entertainment industry is suffering somewhat as a result of the government’s push of the terrorism card, it is therefore, a great relief to know we can rely upon our very own musicians to continue producing quality musical distraction. Praise be The Man Who Walks and The ‘g00!

Love and Kisses, Lady Lex