Sounds on Sunday feat. Martin Solveig @ The Greenwood (05/10/08)
For the third year running I was going to the Sounds on Sunday October long weekend. I’d considered myself somewhat of a veteran, but as I’d not been to Sounds in around 6 months, I was curious to see how the evening would unfold. Under new management now, Sounds has changed a bit in the layout since I was there last. The Courtyard now has chairs and tables, the Chapel is called the “Cocktail Bar”, the ‘Chop Shop’ is no more and the much loved rear Courtyard where I used to chill out was also closed. So much for being a veteran, I didn’t recognize it.
When we arrived, Matt Nukewood was playing in the Courtyard. I didn’t pay much attention to his set as I was too busy soaking in the new surroundings. I went to the ‘Cocktail Bar/Chapel’ and couldn’t help but watch possibly the most entertaining and hilarious DJ I have ever seen. Smokin Joe Mekhael looks like a hyped up, afro sporting Ali-G. I have never seen someone so into their own set, he looked like he was having the best time of his life. It was such a pity that there was so few people in there as he was quite good, mixing everything from current faves to old school hits and everything in between. He chopped from style to style so cleanly and didn’t miss a beat, or lower the mood once. I was captivated watching him pump his arms, laugh hysterically and have the time of his life. I eventually ventured back out into the Courtyard and caught the end of John Glover’s set.
The crowd was eating up John’s set. It had a lot of top 40 mixes which seemed to get the unseated part of the Courtyard moving. Some die hard fans in the front row were reaching out to try and have their hand touched, which must have made John feel like a superstar. I found it hilarious. Nevertheless, he managed to keep it from going to his head and finished a fantastic set.
The main man then took over and he did so with such each and grace it was easy to see he was an experienced…. The boy has skills. When he stepped up to the decks, the crowd was chanting “Solveig! Solveig! Solveig!” He started to play and once again, I was shocked to see that the crowd actually died down in their initial enthusiasm, to the point they was hardly moving at all. This could have been due to the fact that the ‘dance music connoisseurs’ were at Parklife and the crowd wasn’t used to minimalistic tech stylings that Martin was laying down. His set wasn’t your standard club faves that seem to make the rounds with the local DJs. But his set continued to build, and I believe he was easily the standout of the night. He stayed cool, calm and totally in control, a true professional. I for one danced my way around the tables for the entire set, and eventually, due to the way he read them, the crowd warmed and pumped their fists in enthusiasm.
Ben Morris took over at around 7pm and did a great job of mincing Martin’s style and then making it his own. There was not a sudden change of genre, and he kept the crowd dancing all over the Courtyard. Ben rarely disappoints, and he is one of my favourite local DJs. He has the grinding beats that everyone gets into and seems to do it with such ease. It was great to see one of our local boys showing that he could hold his own against one of France’s finest. He did a fantastic job.
As I had now danced solidly for about 3 hours, I decided it was time to head off and get some food, and much needed rest. Sounds had once again delivered some fantastic talent, and I’m sure I will be coming back next year.
stu_jacks88 says...
how many people were there?