Visiting Perth as part of the jam-packed 2008 Big Day Out line up was none other than Mr. Carl Cox... The iconic legend of dance music himself, to give his fans a more intimate show at Heat Nightclub outside of his Boiler Room performances.
Accompanied by the likes of local DJs Sean Chee, Micah, Mind Electric and Carl’s offisder from the UK Jon Rundell, it was set to be a great warmup for the day to follow, and it certainly did not fall short of our expectations. Sean Chee took the decks between 10pm and 11pm, delivering a set laden with tech house that included Hello There by Caged Baby, Over Par by Ash Turner and The Mad Brazilian Woman from Raphael Kneipp. Dance floor count: 1.
When Micah took over and the club filled, a more energised atmosphere descended. At 11:16pm he dropped the breaks-infused Off the Hook by Jesse Garcia which got feet tapping and heads nodding. At 11:30pm, the crowdpleasing Shake by Micky Slim and Chris Lake drew a few to the dance floor (despite intermittent sound issues) and a remix of Harder, Better, Faster Stronger at 11:50pm kept them there. Dance floor count: 8.
When Jon Rundell took over at midnight, he quickly started throwing out thumping tunes and tight mixes, with great bass ensuing. An absolutely tight multi-genre set (that I am willing to admit I could not pick any tracks from) was certainly crowd pleasing, with the venue filling and those keen on seeing the big man himself up close and personal, edging towards the stage in anticipation. Dance floor count: 20 to 25.
As Carl Cox took the liberty of introducing himself on the mic, the atmosphere absolutely exploded. Dropping a White Stripes remix early in the set, he managed to take those in attendance on a truly epic journey. The words of BBC Radio 1 rang true: “You feel somehow privileged and personally invited when he plays.” Carl Cox is always, as the BBC says, “in perpetual motion, driving the party onwards and upwards.” This set was no exception. Even in low points, the crowd kept moving, and cheered as he built up the tempo again. Impeccable track selection, control, direction and insight into what made the crowd tick were apparent. The vocal from Splittr’s All Alone, “I don’t feel like going home without you,” was received uproariously, definitely the highlight of my night. Dance floor count: Practically everyone in the house.
The party kept cranking after 3am as the punters still had the beats in their feet, but it was well and truly time for me to call it a night. Heat lived up to its name once again: a sweltering sauna. And Carl Cox .. I don’t know how he does it, but I fucking love his work.
