Review – Hallucinogen
Psy-trance, has never even really hit my register. I have always been a firm believer that if it was even remotely touched by the “Trance” moniker, that it was probably going to sound repetitive and probably wasn’t worth checking out – it was just that stuff that hippies listen to out in the bush.
After attending last Friday nights gig, I stand corrected, and more than a little chastened.
When I first arrived, Stark was wrapping up his set. The club had a few punters already brocking out on the dance floor to the impressive decorations, lighting and video displays. There was a definite nostalgic hint to the tune selection as the 303s came out in force as Lysergic displayed a mood enlightening near-step back to yesterday with his selection. Choice and Jayd then followed up his set with a nice mélange of tunes, ranging from deep down 303 laced tracks and spliced techno tunes and even a bit of house throw into the mix. Their pre-warmth set drew even more punters to the floor, and the local pair let everyone unwind their tendons for the long road ahead.
As Shpongle come on, the crowds nature quickly changed, and the dance floor became a flail-fest as he proceeded to de-nature this cynics expectations. Ripping through track after track, the journey was evident – from deep ritualistic tribal flows to ethnics and flamenco laden overtures. This was a different experience in terms of electronic music for some, yet there wasn’t a soul that was not entranced by his viscous performance.
As far as fill spaces go, Akira had a tough act to follow and yet he handled it well, upping the tempo slightly and retaining the dance floor – not a slight feat given his lineup positioning between two sets by Posford himself.
Taking to the stage again, this time as his live act Hallucinogen, Posford again reamed the crowd. Constantly tweaking, moving sounds between layers and introducing beats in the manner of any fine craftsman, there was a moment in time where everything just clicked and his set turned into everything that a live electronic act should be – there was not a glitch to be heard and his compositions were unique and enthralling.
By his end, Posford had peoples knees shaking and limbs burning, and as he stepped off an Ondy stepped in, and played a solid and upbeat set to keep everyone engaged as Dark Soho prepared.
Then, there was something different was in the air. Guys with guitars on stage. Sudden, pummeling heavy metal riffs. What the hell was this? I’d never heard of these guys prior to this, and yet suddenly there I was, feet to the floor – listening to a combination of electronic music and crunching nu-metal chords. In their element, they bought the riffs in, they dropped the riffs out, all the while consuming the crowd with straight 4/4 beats and vigorous sweeps, as well as mixing in a soul grinding plethora of live guitar elements.
With no energy left and nothing more to give, Dark Soho closed up their assault and I had been completely won over. The evening, could only be marred by the fact that the club was a bit under capacity – which in my mind was amazing, considering the sheer talent that was packed onto the stage. As a devout breaks fanatic, there is no doubt that I would chose to see any of these artists over a performance by an international break-orientated artist. It is a gratifying experience when even this jaded old ravers eyes can still be opened wide in wonder.
Tags: akira, choice, dark soho, hallucinogen, jayd, lysergic, simon posford