EDITORIAL

The Gatecrasher Summer Sound System (“GCSSS”) arrived in Perth amid unparalleled promotional support and anticipation. With 11,500 tickets sold pre-event (thereby surpassing Melbourne’s effort of 8,000 several days earlier) and a mind boggling line up across a broad spectrum of dance music genres, it seemed that the hype might well be warranted.

GCSSS was, of course, preceded by last year’s Delirious Summer Festival. That event promised to be the first grand scale, pure dance music festival that Perth had seen. Despite some memorable performances, however, the first Summer Festival (Delirium is holding the second at Easter 2002) didn’t really achieve its potential – ticket sales were much lower than expected, probably due to the intense media coverage that dogged the event in the week leading up to it.

That experience seemed to pose an interesting question: with Perth’s small population (and commensurately small dance community), was it inevitable that an event that sought to attract an audience in the order of 10,000 to 15,000 would attract some negative attention? And, further, could an event suffering from such negative attention still attract a good crowd?

An audience of such a size would seemingly require attendance, not only by event regulars – but also by a significant number of first timers, and those who rarely attend dance music events. Those individuals, in their inevitably heightened sense of excitement about the impending event, serve to increase the hype, by speaking to their friends, colleagues etc.

With the drug related stigma that the mainstream Perth media still insist on pinning on dance music, it seems that such hype does generally result in the event in question receiving negative mainstream media attention. This, as we have seen with the first Summer Festival (and after Digital 2001) results in a heightening of rhetoric from State Government Authorities and the Police Force. For whatever reason, such rhetoric and coverage – if occurring before the event, seems to have, in the past, discourage many people from going.

For whatever reason, GCSSS seemed to largely escape such negative attention. Whether this means that Perth’s media have now accepted the validity of large dance music festivals/events as non-threatening remains to be seen but, in any case, the event appeared to enjoy only positive media.

This smooth run up was duplicated in the management of the event. Sure, there were a couple of hitches during the day – many people complained about the dust at Belvoir and the smoke caused by grass fires outside the event. But these problems were, respectively, uncontrollable and swiftly dealt with.

The vast weight of factors were on the positive side: the weather was perfect and the crowd both friendly and appropriate in number – large enough to ensure a good vibe in all arenas throughout the day, but not so large as to detract from individual comfort.

But all of that’s peripheral really. Isn’t it all about the music? Of course it is. On that note, what you will find below is the most comprehensive review of GCSSS that you will read anywhere. To compliment our review, we will also be posting, over the course of the next week, the most comprehensive collection of GCSSS photos that you will find anywhere – most of which have been taken by professional photographers Michael Ellams and Duncan Barnes (the latter’s photos can also be seen on www.ravephotography.com). Enjoy.

PLASTIK TECHNO ARENA
Report by Brad Rogers

Arriving at 12.15pm, I was greeted by the sight of tech room opener, Nic Tan, playing to a truck, parked square in the middle of the tent. With nobody else in the room and 11 hours of techno yet to come, Nic commenced proceedings at a decidedly laid back pace, choosing to purvey an hour of layered, percussive US house. Given the sunny weather and mood abounding, it seemed an appropriate start to the day.

My early arrival provided me with an opportunity to survey the techno tent setup. Suitably minimal in all aspects, the tech tent comprised of a single lighting rig at the front of the room, beneath which were the decks; speaker stacks and smoke machines. Hanging above the DJ console was a decorative wind tunnel.

By the time Puff’s turn to step to the decks arrived (at 1pm), the tent had begun to fill with a core of tech heads, many of whom would remain for the rest of the day. Puff seized on this, immediately increasing the tempo, resulting in most of these people taking to the “dance floor” in the middle of the tent. Indeed, one enthusiastic attendee was sufficiently moved by Puff’s set, as to remove her pants and dance in her underwear for a duration of about 15 minutes ! The combination of Puff’s popularity as a local DJ, and his selection of fresh Euro-tech, had a less dramatic effect on the wider crowd, however, by the close of his hour at the helm, an audience that would have dwarfed the gathering that witnessed Richie Hawtin’s set at the Delirious Festival last year had already formed.

While Mrw was scheduled to play at 2pm, it was perhaps no surprise that Troy presented himself to take the baton from Puff. Organising an event of the scale of the Summer Sound System would be a daunting prospect indeed – but controlling such an event from behind the decks of one of its tents would seem, in the context of grass fires etc raging, impossible.

In any event, Troy did a fine job during the course of his extended set. Thankfully keeping his shirt on throughout, Troy’s set was characterised by its fresh selection of tunes and tight mixing, replete with dashes of well timed cuts and scratching. By combining a majority of new tracks with some creatively played “old” (eg Umek’s House Fucker) ones, Troy managed to put together a very entertaining set, and one that appeared to be thoroughly enjoyed by those present, whose numbers had by then swelled to almost fill the tent.

Next up, Valentino took to the decks, as the first international scheduled in the tech room. Looking more like a time warped member of the Beatles than an up and coming tech DJ and producer, Valentino immediately pulled the tempo back from the level at which Troy had left it. Consistent with his recent production style, and perhaps sensing that the crowd might enjoy some respite before the onslaught to come, Valentino’s was a set well suited to a Sunday afternoon in the sun: bongo drums galore, with plenty of melody to boot. Valentino continued this pace throughout most of his, very well mixed and programmed, set. In the interests of avoiding absolute incongruity however, and in anticipation of Richie Hawtin’s arrival at the DJ console, Valentino did quicken the pace towards the end. A very appropriate lead in for the tech tent high ratings period, indeed.

The arrival of the very familiar bespectacled bald head of Richie Hawtin behind the decks elicited the predictable cheer. Hawtin wasted no time, dropping straight into a couple of opening minimal tech promos, which allowed him time to set about hooking up his Final Scratch equipment (Final Scratch consists of a combination of Djing software and hardware, which allows the user to manipulate mp3’s as if they were vinyl, through the use of a special record placed on a standard turntable. Hawtin has been using the Final Scratch at gigs since launching it in France early this year).

The sight of Hawtin readying to put the Final Scratch to use ever heightened the excitement of the crowd. Speaking to some of those present, I was surprised to discover that most were aware of its advent, and Hawtin’s use of it. Unfortunately, they were to be disappointed, as Hawtin and his trusty assistant were unsuccessful in setting it up. Abandoning the endeavour, Hawtin resigned himself to playing out the rest of his set without the Final Scratch. Inexplicable, however, was the fact that a man with Hawtin’s abundant talent also decided to use, predominantly, only 2 decks for almost the entire duration of his set.

Despite these gripes, Richie’s set was excellent, and seemed to be well appreciated by the packed crowd in the tech tent. As is typical for a Hawtin set, it consisted largely of white labels – extremely refreshing stuff, but not particularly conducive to a trainspotting review :) Suffice to say that Richie’s taste seems to have taken on somewhat of a breakbeat edge, whilst retaining its predominantly minimal leanings. This was lapped up by the tech crowd, many of whom forgot their usual reserved tech-head demeanour and instead resorted to screaming out “Richie !” at regular intervals, like so many school girls at an N’Sync concert. Such is the strength of Hawtin’s appeal.

All too soon, the end of Richie’s set had arrived, and he was handing over control to Luke Slater. Consistent with his reputation as a stylish geezer, Slater sauntered up to the decks, replete in a Kangol sweater and aviator sunglasses (despite the fact that, by this stage, the sun had set). Slater’s body language behind the decks was so laid back, in fact, that nobody would have been surprised had he produced a bar stool, and continued his set whilst perched atop it.

His body language was deceptive, however: Slater’s work rate was, by no measure, slack. Whilst retaining his slightly slouching posture and non-plussed expression for the majority of his set, he surprised with the quality of his turntablism. Resorting to three decks, about half-way through his set, Slater scratched; dropped-in and double beated his way through a reasonably diverse selection of techno, although perhaps not so diverse as those familiar with his production work might have expected. Sure, there were some examples of more electro and breaky tracks, but the majority he dropped came straight from the party tech land: Umek; Dave Clarke; Gaetano Parisio et al, through to some harder, Compound Records type tunes. While he trotted out some well worn tracks, such as Manipulator and The X EP, he did so with sufficient originality in style as to make them seem somewhat fresh.

I was extremely sorry to see Slater’s set finish. For mine, his was the stand out performance in the tech tent, surprisingly upstaging Hawtin, who would have been thought to have been a safe bet to secure that acclaim.

By the time Slater’s set finished, the tech tent had already started to empty, with the news circulating that Sander Kleinenberg was not performing in the Ampitheatre – and that Green Velvet may therefore be commencing early.

Indeed, the numbers in the tent dwindled to such an extent that, by the time Umek stepped up for his set, the tent probably held only about 20% of the number that had been present for Richie Hawtin and Luke Slaters’ respective efforts.

Perhaps remembering Umek’s blinding performance at Digital 2000, however, there was a palpable sense of anticipation amongst those remaining. For about the first 20 minutes, it seemed like Umek might deliver on that anticipation. Unfortunately, it soon appeared that Umek couldn’t muster sufficient enthusiasm to repeat his deck wizardry so amply displayed at Digital. He veritably plodded through his set, with minimal showmanship and an “I’m just gonna get through this” look on his face. It’s a shame that he couldn’t muster more excitement: the crowd (if you could call it that) to which Richie Hawtin played at last year’s festival was far smaller, yet Richie showed his professionalism on that occasion by adapting to the smaller crowd, thereby successfully establishing a rapport with his supporters.

For whatever reason, Umek saw fit to deliver to his supporters (who, after all, were sufficiently interested in seeing him to turn down the allure of a packed Belvoir Ampitheatre) an effort that was demonstrably less inspiring than that which he is capable of. Ending with a lack lustre wind down into his X EP, he finished the night with an unconvincing wave to the crowd, 10 minutes ahead of schedule. For mine, Umek’s performance was the one disappointing element of an otherwise excellent tech showing at Gatecrasher – let’s hope his next visit contains more of the soul and energy for which his performances are generally known.

LOADED DICE DRUM’N’BASS ARENA
Report by Jonathon Keefe

As you entered the grounds the first arena to greet you was the Xpress Magazine Loaded Dice Drum’n’Bass Arena. Being the first sounds people heard, most at least deviated their path from the entrance to check it out before moving on to continue their initial exploration of the venue. And for the first three hours when a majority of the 11,500 people of the day arrived this is what the crowd mainly consisted of, people at the back of the tent, a few seated around the edges, checking out the vibe but seemingly saving themselves for the day ahead.

Midday and DJ are two words rarely used in the same sentence and it was Elle Rollo who had the unenviable task of opening proceedings for the Drum’n’Bass tent. He stuck to playing a very laidback type set to welcome people in and get settled for the day. During this first hour people were drifting in and out, most at least stopping for a while to listen and take some of it in before moving on.

Point of View (Clay, Sardi and Mike L) were next and continued with the laid back vibe which had been passed on to them. More and more people were arriving over their two and a quarter hour allotted set and most seemed to at least stop, look and listen.

I came back after 3pm to check out Diamond D to find the Drum’n’Bass Arena smokin’, literally! A small scrub fire near the car park was blowing smoke over the grounds, and with the Drum’n’Bass tent being closest, it was copping more than it’s fair share of smoke. Unfortunately, the thickness of the smoke meant that security had to temporarily keep the tent clear until the smoke dispersed. Luckily, it was able to be extinguished quickly, hopefully, though, sending a message to people of the care needed in the dry grassy surrounds.

All had seemed forgotten by the time B’Jam started playing, with the smoke well and truly gone. But the smoke did affect the continuity of the afternoon and it seemed as though he had to take a step backwards instead of build on what was on before him. The easy going feel of the drum’n’bass tent continued to play on and a perimeter standing crowd was re-established.

Greg Packer seemed to be the first time during the day that large numbers of people had made a memo on their itinerary to converge at the Drum’n’Bass Arena. Packer’s popularity was evident as the tent filled with dancing bodies. He didn’t drastically increase the tempo, but played more vocal tracks and was assisted superbly by his partner on stage, MC Ripper, who worked the crowd into the dancing mass that they were.

The arrival of LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad was greeted by a favourable crowd and they didn’t seem to disappoint. Slightly more upbeat than those who had been on before, they demonstrated the effectiveness of the DJ/MC combination and why it works so well in drum’n’bass. Bukem was smooth on the decks, keeping the beats flowing, whilst Conrad kept the crowd moving and motivated. The only complaints came as a result of the increased dancing: by this stage the dirt floor was getting stirred up more, and a few people left the tent complained of the amount of dust in the air.

The last time Roni Size visited Perth was with Reprazent for the Big Day Out in February. This time around, it was just Size and MC Dynamite, a smaller stage, but a no less enthusiastic crowd was packed into and over flowing out of what now seemed an undersized tent. It was fast, it was aggressive, and the crowd could not get enough of it. Even during technical hiccups, Dynamite kept talking to the crowd, playing with them and working them up so that when all was fixed and Size was able play again, the crowd could get down into it where they last left off. Like Bukem and Conrad before them, Roni Size and MC Dynamite displayed the dynamics of a very tight MC/DJ partnership. Their set of high paced jungle rhythms proving to be a popular finale.

The Drum’n’Bass Arena grew steadily throughout the day. The size and enthusiasm of the crowds that gathered for some of the acts demonstrated how strong the scene is in Perth at the moment. Fortunately, hiccups such as the incident with the smoke were able to be dealt with quickly and as people battled through the mini sand storm back to their cars at the end of the night, they did so physically drained but with a satisfied smile.

33 AND 1/3 BREAKS ARENA
Report by Luke Notley

With the ever increasing following that breaks seems to be gathering here in Perth, there was no doubt that the Triple J Mix Up 33 1/3 tent was going to be popular. Kicking proceedings off at Noon was local Smoulder. Playing a nice set of dark, aggressive breaks with a tiny bit of dnb thrown in for good measure. As you can imagine, the tent didn’t gather a huge crowd at the start of the day. Many people were coming in and listening for a little while, before moving on and checking out another arenas.

At 2pm, Rhibosome took centre stage. With an array of equipment and a nice crowd gathered inside the tent, Rhibosome began to bellow out their unique sound. With the crowd grooving to the beats, Rhibosome threw out an awesome live performance that would probably have been more suited on stage in the amphitheatre. Nonetheless, both they and the crowd enjoyed themselves during their 45 minute stint.

James Lavelle was next up after Echoic. James started out playing somewhat an interesting set in a breaks tent. Tech house sounds are what came from the man to start with. Playing a very nice selection including the popular Detroit classic Knights of the Jaguar by Rolando, James showed his technical prowess on the turntables. Competing with the same timeslot as De La Soul, James didn’t gather much of a crowd. A set from James which would have been more suited to later in the afternoon and to a full tent. No less, he still continued on with the same enthusiasm as you would have seen playing to a packed tent, respect.

Meat Katie had the job of playing the sundown set. By now there was a large crowd gathered in the tent and a dust storm brewing from all the punters going for it on the dancefloor. Meat Katie played an excellent aggressive set of dark, harder breaks. Phat basslines was the order of the day from the breaks champ, and the frenzied crowd loved every minute of it. With an excellent flow in his set, Meat Katie delivered probably the best sundown set of the afternoon. After an hour and half it was time for Soundlab to grace centre stage.

Up after Soundlab were Hybrid. After hearing rocking reports about their sets in Melbourne and Sydney the night before, I was keen to check these guys out and see how they performed. Catching the first half of their set I was simply blown away. Hearing these guys live on the net and listening to their CD’s just really didn’t compare. Playing an excellent set of funky, nasty atmospheric breaks, the crowd was certainly digging it and so were the lads. Unfortunately the dust storm that was being whipped up really didn’t help things in the breaks tent but, none the less, the boys pressed on and delivered an excellent set.

GATECRASHER ARENA
Review by Sean Chee

Initially opening the festivities in the Gatecrasher tent was Boy, who has been steadily improving and gaining experience at every party he plays at. Boy laid down a set of tech house with hints of tribal and progressive sneaking into the mix. After Boy, was Warren10, who continued on with the tech house and tribal tip, but took the mix somewhat harder. By this time, the crowd was starting to mingle at the back of the tent. Although, somewhat unfortunately, at this stage the Gatecrasher banner across the back was proving a lot more popular then the DJ playing. Warren10’s development musically is really starting to pay off with his own unique flavour now becoming more and more apparent every time he plays out. We are sure to hear him for a long time to come.

At 2pm, Chad D took to the decks and almost immediately a crowd started to gather, dancing away quite happily. Chad D guided the ever swelling crowd through a full range of Progressive and Tech house. Highlights included Chad D vs Eupho Spug’s System Circuit and Ubu’s pixels.

In typical International DJ behaviour, Lucien Foort arrived 30 minutes late. The response from the crowd was massive to say the least. In his second visit in 12 weeks, Lucien Foort gave the crowd a set of banging and funkier progressive. Flawless mixing matched with an excellent track selection and his showmanship, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand. Enjoying himself immensely behind the decks, Lucien dished out one of the best Progressive sets Perth has heard all year. Lucien loves Perth and Perth loves Lucien. A match made in heaven.

After Lucien came off it was Tall Paul on the decks. Being credited as one of the original Ibiza party DJ’s, Tall Paul certainly knows how to whip a crowd into a screaming frenzy. Playing some funkier mainstream-ish tunes, Tall Paul certainly satisfied the crowd’s desire to party. The highlight of Tall Paul’s set ,without a doubt, was when he dropped his mix of Precious Heart. The crowd was uncontrollable.

Next up was Scott Bond. Scott Bond is Gatecrasher’s longest serving resident and is one of their promoters also. If anyone can capture the essence of Gatecrasher, it’s him. Bond, on his 3rd visit to Perth, played a somewhat trancier set. Something really Gatecrasher. Bond had the advantage of having the crowd built up by Tall Paul and was skilful in maximizing this to the enjoyment of everyone out there. Many people who spent the whole day camped in the GC tent claimed that Bond was by far the best set of the day.

Finally, rounding out the day was Armin Van Buuren. Probably best known for his track Communication and his work with Ferry Corsten, Van Buuren struck out in his own unique flavour. Laying down a tight set of trance, Van Buuren capitalised on the intensity of the crowd that had gathered in the tent for the night and gave the punters a truly memorable set. Many, many, many pre release tunes were given a thorough caning: tunes we are not likely to hear for a good 6 months.

THE DELIRIOUS AMPHITHEATRE STAGE
Report by Kroizy Jack

After recent comments in our forums, the pressure was on, to be on the ball or risk a potential bollocking at the hands of our friends at a certain magazine! The pressure cooker was then turned up when I was informed that I was to be taken out of the familiar surrounds and sounds of the Plastik room, to review the delirious arena. (yikes)

Anyhow, after a surprisingly short drive (I guess it helps when you don’t get lost in dodgy detours) I arrived several minutes before it opened. Already, there were many punters waiting, all hyped up for what was possibly the most eagerly anticipated gig of its type in Perth.

The advantage of spending extra time in the Delirious arena was, however, abundantly apparent to all on arrival. The Belvior amphitheatre is one of the most beautiful and unique venues used for dance music anywhere in the world, memories of Laurent Garnier playing here last year under the stars with a cool breeze gently blowing through my hair came flooding back. Ok, before I sound any more wanky, I’ll get back to the review!

Well, we were all given ample time to reminisce at the beginning, as there was no sound! For some reason we were left to talk and marvel at the venue for quite some time before Raw Funk boys Declan and Dan Stinton played at times, a somewhat harder tekier sound than I had expected. The crowd was growing relatively fast and yet remained very relaxed and sociable. People were, in the main, sitting down talking and lapping up the great weather, while some took to playing hacky sack.

This relaxed Sunday afternoon atmosphere continued as Fat Fluid took over the decks, playing a selection of breaks and beats which were much in keeping with the mood.

Towards the end of the set, a fire broke out somewhere in the general vicinity, which covered much of the paddock in thick smoke. As it appeared to be coming from the direction of the car park I decided to investigate, only to be shrugged off by security: “oh that? Yeah nah that’s miles away, no where near the cars, nothing to worry about; move along please!”

De La Soul must have started early as, when I returned to the amphitheatre, they had already begun. It was absolutely FUCKEN packed!! Whether it was because of De La Soul? Or just people running from the thick smoke? I guess we will never know for sure. But the crowd was really getting into it. After playing a few old hip hop classics De La Soul then took control of the mike and used a few old MC tricks to whip the crowd into a frenzy. After about fifteen minutes of this, they reached the conclusion that my side of the amphitheatre sucked arse! and that Perth has the best women in Australia! It was becoming ridiculously hot, I was losing buckets of water and my voice so I unfortunately missed the very end. However, it was very clear that De La Soul were a crowd favourite: their charisma and crowd interaction was the highlight for many, especially for one particular fireman!

Up next was Doc Martin, a US dj hailing from the Westside, but a regular in many places all over the USA and the globe. Unfortunately, I missed most of this set, however, the bits that I did catch were a mixture of funky lade back house and breaks, with a few Latin influences. Most of the audience seemed to want to recover and re-hydrate after the high octane set from De La Soul. Having said that, the amphitheatre was still full and there were many fans who really enjoyed Doc Martin’s set.

Endorphin, the French born Australian from Brisbane (three nationalities in one there !!!! uhuhuh) was up next. He performed his characteristically mellow melodic and cinematic set to a setting sun. This suited the mood and time of the day perfectly, creating an aurally and visually stunning show. Most people seemed happy to sit down, rest, listen and talk quietly amongst themselves in a still quite packed amphitheatre. Few people had anything bad to say about Endorphins’ set, which was very easy on the ear.

“Hey Sander Kleinenberg looks a lot like MRW!” said someone, well into the latter’s set. MRW had very quietly taken control of the decks without many people noticing. In fact, if it were not for this comment I may not have noticed this change as the decks were tucked away to the side and the light was fading! MRW began his set with some very smooth tek house tunes – some (Ed: read “Ben Stinga”!) may even describe them as being “spherical!” Gradually, the set became harder and more textured. A little more “functional” even! The change from start to finish was so great, it was hard to believe it was the same set! An interesting set from someone who we have come to expect a fairly frenetically paced techo sound. A solid performance in what could have been a very difficult situation.

MRW paved way for Green Velvet, one of the most highly anticipated characters in the techno scene. We have had our hopes dashed several times before here in Perth, the last Delirious party being one such example. So a short delay in setting up had many people very nervous. However, all fears proved unfounded as Green Velvet’s nitrous charged textured sounds soon blasted the amphitheatre. Some people hated it. Most loved it! His music in keeping with his persona, was drawing strong responses from the audience. The people at the front were loving his antics and stage presence. He played a mixture of past classics such as The Stalker and songs from his current album such as la la land and the “this is not a fucking phase” song. The music was played by several people who kept a fairly low profile behind the ever charismatic Green Velvet, who added the vocals on top. There didn’t seem to be a huge amount of improvisation (I suspect we got exactly the same show as melb and sydney) but it didn’t seem to matter to everyone, as they were just glad to see him!

All in all I think this has to be one of the best gigs I’ve ever been at. Both in the quality and the number of the acts and the vibe of the punters. I think some of the internationals deserve a big credit for putting in 100% after what was a very hectic schedule. I know they should be used to it but still it was a top effort!