We Love Sounds After Party Numero Duo @ The Bourbon 08/06/08
After having spent almost eight hours standing, dancing and going absolutely mental at the long awaited We Love Sounds festival in Sydney last Sunday, I would have originally called it a day and slumped head first into bed. But this was not the case at all – I’m a dedicated music lover, and there was much more fun to be had elsewhere. Flocks of young (and old) hooligans began to make their way to Kings Cross, where two official We Love Sounds afterparties were taking place. The cream of the festival were all set to play special club sets for all the hardcore fans willing to sacrifice their sore limbs and dance all night long. This particular after-party, dubbed ‘Numero Duo’, was located at the popular night spot The Bourbon. It was spread across all three levels, and included four rooms all with jam-packed lineups – Deep Fuss (The Bourbon), Lost Baggage (Carpet Room), Minimal Fuss (The Cross) and Bunker Fuss (The Bunker).
I arrived a little early as the set-times had not been advertised, just to check what time everyone was playing so I wouldn’t miss anyone. My wishes had come true, and my favourite acts Ellen Allien and Modeselektor were playing in the Minimal Fuss room, and didn’t clash with one another like they did at the festival. This made me very excited, and I think I had a smile on my face for most of the evening. One of Sydney’s most respected residents Biz E was warming up the main room for Ellen, who was due to start at 1am. He was playing some really interesting glitchy, abstract stuff which the already pulsing crowd was loving. Then Ellen stepped up to the decks, and for the second time in the one day, I was ecstatic.
I have been a huge fan of Ellen for many years and admire her passion for music, and her own productions greatly. To see her play twice in one day just seemed too good to be true. Her festival set was good but she was having a few technical difficulties in the beginning and had to change the stylus four times until it one worked properly! She looked a little stressed out, so it was so good to see her smiling and in her element behind the decks at The Cross. She played some really chunky techno to begin, and moved into some of her more melodic, quriky material. Using vinyl these days is becoming more and more uncommon, but Ellen most definitely still feels that it holds a special significance. Using the turntables entirely, she let loose her throbbing, watery sounding vinyl records and everyone was jumping around like rabbits. I can only identify one of the many tracks she played, and it was in fact a track by Gaiser called Withdrawal. I love this track, and then remembered that Gaiser was also playing in the Lost Baggage room at 3am. She then continued to play a very interesting selection of upbeat, melodic techno. Another track she was mixing for well over three minutes sounded incredible, a strong synth-line over another techno track. At the front of the room throughout her set, Ellen also had some fan’s going crazy, spinning around, and wearing t-shirts with her latest album title Sool written across them.
I can definitely say she could have played for longer, but her Bpitch Control label duo Modeselektor were due to take control of the room. If anyone had seen the set these two unleashed at the festival prior, they would know we were all in for something special. What is now known to some as ‘the set of the year’, Modeselektor tore the place apart with a mix of grinding techno and electronica. It was also good to see Ellen having the time of her life behind the two maestros. Meanwhile in the Lost Baggage room, which I only was able to stumble into for about half an hour, Stephen Bodzin stepped up and took over the room with his distinctive, messy head-cave tech-house material.
All in all it was an unforgettable experience, and not unlike last year’s epic afterparty at The Bourbon, I must say it came very close to being much more enjoyable than the We Love Sounds festival. I finally saw one of my favourite DJ/Producers in her element Ellen Allien, and I can now live a happy fulfilling life! All hail to the awesome power of the afterparty.
shortino says...
haha nice review man wished I had made it! that line up made sydney look like berlin for a night haha.... caint wait for WLS09 !WOOT!