Posted by walking rek on Jul 31, 2004 in
dancing rek,
my ears are expensive <!– @page { size: 21cm 29.7cm; margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } –>
Mad Racket is a consistent party provider. Still kickin well into its 6th year, this party collective has out lasted many of its contemporaries and maintains its underground ethic with emphasis on quality production and intelligent music. The result is a party that respects its punters offering a haven for self-expression, be that on the dance floor or in what you choose to wear (or not to wear) Mad Racket is a party for the open minded.
The venue still holds up as one of the best around: Marrickville Bowling Club can be found in the back streets of the inner west industrial zone. On a quiet night you can hear the bass from almost a kilometre away, but yet I have never known this party to get shut down due to noise complaints. The club maintains its charm as a recreational centre for the bowling set, but it comes alive as a party space with super sound reinforcement and cool visuals courtesy of the Mad Racket crew. The dance floor is legendary, plenty of souls have left their bodies temporarily out on those tiles, whilst the choice of couches beckons seductively to those who prefer to watch.
For the Locals party, there is a healthy turnout of punters despite the Splendour exodus and bitterly cold and damp conditions. The crowd is a well-seasoned lot who feel the urge to shake off their ugg boots and get down to some seriously tasty house music. Typically, there is not one glow stick in sight, but the groove is definitely hitting its mark and more people are on the move then not. This is deep and dirty low slung house music in its element: a musically sensitive crowd who know what they like and a venue with the right mix of space and creature comforts.
For some on the night, that level of comfort extended to wearing very little at all as they shook their bits to Jimmi James’ quality deep tech house. But, being a Mad Racket affair, no one really took much notice of anything other then the music. With the crowd suitably oiled up, Jimmi James slid off and Alpha Town Collective sidled up to soak us in yet more saucy sensations.
Alpha Town took us on a tour of their new live material during an extended and well-received set. These two guys dished out some highly infecticious grooves with deep bass lines that swung hips and heads alike, whilst the lengthy layers of housey goodness mutated delightfully. Their set was well structured and ended in slightly more up-tempo terrain that reflected the heightened vibe of the room.
Ken Cloud took proceedings to the next level with his chunky slabs of meaty beats. The crowd was sitting deep in their grooves, only taking five to partake of the very modestly priced drinks. I believe that this particular Mad Racket featured some of the most consistent and enjoyable music I’ve heard out on the tiles for a while. A party that reminded one of certain halcyon days of past. Long live House. As the Racketeers would say: Well Bowled, Well Rolled.
Posted by walking rek on Jul 25, 2004 in
dancing rek,
my ears are expensive I always thought that Electric Six were a band whose music would befit a retroactive nightclub in the middle of a circus ring with crazy cabaret artists dangling from the trapeze. Having never seen their video clips, I had this mental image of performers decked out in Parliament and Village People flavoured outfits, swinging microphones around and busting ballistic manoeuvres. Their music painted a vivid picture in my mind and I was looking forward to the Electric Six live experience, whatever that may be. Having heard on the grape vine that the gig was sold out, we were well prepared to get there early to secure a spot with a view. We were not expecting to find a long queue out front at 9pm: punters were obviously pretty keen to catch local supports SPOD and Peabody. There was excitement in air and the line moved quickly once doors opened. SPOD were warming up the room with their quirky mix of electro-clash, rocked out disco and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. SPOD are two guys, a guitar, a drum machine and an effects box. They dance around the stage hamming up the performance with lewd moves and plenty of crowd interaction. SPOD were an appropriate opener for the night, they set the vibe and got the punters moving and laughing. Up next was Peabody, a punchy three piece with pacey ditties about being drunk and disorderly. They held the crowd�s attention and impressed with their tight and zealous performance.
Peabody�s popular hit �Stupid Boy (Full of Alcohol)� was well received as the punters loosened up their vocal chords and jostled for room on the heaving dance floor.
Peabody was a smart choice as segway to the headlining act. And what an act! Electric Six were nothing like I expected them to be, not one pair of bell-bottoms to behold. These guys embody everything that was great from the Eighties From the haircuts, to the tight pants, to the mirror shades, these guys oozed sex appeal from every angle. Electric Six are drums, keys, bass, rhythm, lead and vocals and they are all outstanding performers. In particular, the guitarists hung off their instruments with the right blend of nonchalance and technical dexterity: little stabs of legs, leaning out into the crowd, grand arcs of flamboyant persona endeared me immediately. The drummer was super tight too, whilst the keyboardist was pure magic. The vocalist has one hell of a voice: very Tom Jones in his manner, he belts out lyrics with the power of a gospel singer complete with hand moves and dinky dancing. I was dazzled by the thick, polished rock-funk sound that permeated the room � their recordings simply do not do justice to their live performance. There were blistering guitar solos, dynamic rhythms and grinding grooves. I was expecting something perhaps a little camp, but their very masculine show had an raucous effect on the audience: one guy got launched onto the stage much to his surprise, someone�s g-string found its home on the neck of a guitar and people were going crazy. They played all their familiar hits �Danger! High Voltage�, �Gay Bar� and �Dance Commander� but I also found their other material highly danceable. I enjoyed the gig so much so that I simply had to buy the t-shirt. I hope that Electric Six tour here again very soon, and would recommend catching them live. They are playing at the
Annandale next Tuesday 27th July. Get in early to avoid disappointment � Electric six is one act not to be missed.