It rained _really hard_ that night. I thought I was going to get stuck
on the freeway. The gear he used seemed to take up a garageworth of
space. Definitely pre-mp3-ableton-ni-powerbook.
I remember Terry Mullen playing blackout right before the show started,
then silence, screams, lights on peoples clothing with sunglasses, drp,
more screams, music starts, graphics start on the video screen, total
craziness for the next ~40 minutes. Trancendence was very different.
It was on a floor of a skyscraper right there in downtown Toronto. It
didnt feel underground at all, very big event in a large open space.
No video screen to accompany the music but the speakers emitted an evil
red glow at points. The music had a tighter feel from the Spastik
show.
Geez that happened 10 years ago, I feel old.
Dang kids today with their music collections in little iPods and
studios in little notebooks. Why in my day we walked miles in a bad
part of town with 100 pound record crates, in the snow, barefoot, and
we liked it. If gear couldnt give you a hernia or put you in debt it
was no good I tell you. New fangled computers matching beats for you,
pffft.... :P
On Mar 03, 2004, at 02:53, Matt MacQueen wrote:
On Mar 3, 2004, at 12:50 AM, Adam H wrote:
Spastik(94) and Transcendence(95). The shows were _incredible_ Both
were "plastikman" tracks live followed by 4-6 hour dj sets.
I wonder if he will play any of the goo*cough* I mean old plastikman
tracks.. :D
hi Adam-
I also caught him live for the 1st time in 94 at Spastik in Detroit
too (was it really 10 years ago? holy shi*t), but missed
Transcendence, which may have been even bigger? Pre-mp3,
pre-Traktor, pre-Ableton, it was nearly pre-Clinton for god sake. I
gotta give him credit it was a mindblower of a party, the complete
experience. I mean at the time it was about as literally as 'techno'
as you could get in the US, I still may even have the flyer somewhere
(how sad am I). There was a pile of live gear / rack / PA stuff and
then if i recall he played some records. There really aren't parties
like that anymore in the US, at that scale (and venue and volume) in
Detroit, that still have a very underground feel with that level of
talent and almost fetishistic overwhelmingly huge sound systems. I
remember his parents were in the crowd, and there were some contorting
+8 dancers up on speakers peeling off layers of lycra clothing? (do i
have the right party here?? yikes, it's all a blur, hahh)
I kept thinking we're all gonna spontaneously combust it was so hot,
packed in, everything was covered in black plastic and dripping in
human perspiration. The sounds themselves felt like they were
dripping, it was intense. I'm sure whatever he'll do now from a
performance standpoint will be completely unique and innovative as
that's just his style, he's not one for nostalgia just for the sake of
it. Especially with the near-freakish control he usually has over
every element of the parties, from technology, audio/visual setups,
wanting the latest of everything, etc.
I haven't cared for his last couple of albums (or straight
jackhammer-like direction of his DJ sets in recent years) as much as
his earlier more sparse material. The first 2 Plastikman albums (Sheet
One and Musik) I think are still much better than the new ones IMHO..
but frankly i'm still glad he brought back the whole Plastikman
concept to life. It's interesting and makes you think, whether you
love it or hate it. It probably all depends on if/when you got into
his music and what tracks you got into (or out of) first... But
anyone who can go to this live set will probably be in for the 'total
experience' -- it's no slouchy organization, every detail matters.
peace
--
Matt MacQueen
http://SonicSunset.com
