Hardware 17: Laurent Garnier & Cari Lekebusch, Melbourne Docklands
The long-awaited return of French house/techno star Laurent Garnier to Melbourne went down a treat with those devotees at the front who lapped up his cleverly orchestrated mix of live and turntable components. Hardware 17 was already underway at 1 am when Sweden's Cari Lekebusch, somewhat ironically and inadvertently relegated to support slot at this event, came on and span a tight two-hour set of trademark minimal techno, Swedish stylee. A grinning Cari - sporting a military-style shaved head - gave the glowstick-clasping ravers in the house what they wanted, bangin' shit, while steering his set into some quirkier directions. But Garnier was the real drawcard on the night for most - clearly some had experienced his DJ sets in previous years, while others recognised the name from the techno canon. Garnier successfully alternated between live performance (with a three-piece band) and DJing. In five years Garnier has evolved beyond rave culture, so his forays into cerebral and sophisticated Detroit techno/house may have passed over many of the younger crowd members' heads. At one point Laurent jammed on a symbolic track with a spoken-word sample concerning "the battle for the soul of the music," which sounded like "Mad" Mike Banks of Underground Resistance. (Help anyone?) >From there, Garnier gradually ventured into harder territory, performing the neo-rave anthem The Sound Of The Big Babou at the apex. He delivered The Man With The Red Man twice - reprising it as the night's finale. Garnier's sax player Philippe Nador (methinks) - thankfully not looking too red in the smoky environs - was the night's unexpected hit and had one over-the-moon girl blowing kisses (which he nonchalently ignored, heh-heh). The fact that Garnier, ever jovial and demonstrative, DJed for much longer than scheduled would suggest that he was enjoying himself. He gave the crowd a history lesson with Mayday's Jaguar remix, Inner City's Good Life and even vintage Model 500. My only criticism, other than the wasted crowd, was the terrible security at the venue. Just as Garnier was finishing my bag was snatched off me. It contained my migraine medication, phone, money, etc. I approached the security and explained what had happened. He was like, "Well, what do you want me to do about it?" I was totally coherent and sober and polite as I don't drink or take drugs but I felt very vulnerable being on my own and had a headache brewing. All I wanted was access to an emergency phone, so I could reverse charge for help, but apparently there weren't any which I think is irresponsible. The First Aid wasn't much better. So I walked across all this industrial wasteland to the nearest police station I could think of and filed a report. It then took 24 hours to get a locum to tend to my splitting head and I had a reaction to the injection which has made me sick all week. All up the experience has cost me nearly A$500. So I am over raves. I would prefer to see DJs of the calibre of Garnier and Mills play clubs and not raves where there is less of a drug subculture and they will be appreciated by an older, musical crowd. Garnier encored at the more intimate surrounds of the Prince Of Wales, I couldn't go.
