ADE is a tricky customer when it comes to parties. Now recognised as Europe’s – and depending to whom you speak the world’s – premier electronic music conference, it is of course an incredible stage for showing the people that matter exactly what you’re all about. Record labels, promoters and DJs are faced with the unenviable task of providing something different from everyone else, while still delivering something that truly represents what they’re all about. I say unenviable as, although at times the end result can be a lot of fun, a quite phenomenal amount of work goes into making it so.
One of the major issues – as a label at least – is who to get to play. With ADE going from strength to strength and its reputation growing by the year, it's inevitable that everyone really wants to get some time behind the decks, mic or one of the inexplicably intricate live set-ups you’ll find on display at one time or another. The Defected In The House party was no exception, and the final line-up of Junior Jack & Kid Creme, The Shapeshifters, Chocolate Puma, DJ Gregory, Copyright, Simon Dunmore, Studio Apartment, Ben Westbeech, Sergio Flores, Treasure Fingers, Aaron Ross looked daunting to say the least. Even with all the most carefully managed of schedules, it’s rare that a party goes exactly to plan, and with so much talent to cram into such a relatively short amount of time, the potential for, if not disaster, then at least mild disgruntlement from DJs wanting to showcase their wares longer than their allotted period was clear.
Happily, the first major surprise of the night was an extremely welcome one. DJ, producer and all round musical legend Arthur Baker was confirmed as a surprise guest at the last minute, and Simon Dunmore gladly stepped out of his DJ shoes and sank happily onto his musical appreciation stool to make way. Arthur opened Room 2 to a small but steadily building crowd, playing disco and soul from the Hall & Oats/Chaka Khan schools of music production, while Dunmore stood by the bar, vodka lemon clasped in his hand, grinning happily as each new track came in…“Arthur Baker is playing at our party!” he frequently exclaimed; one seriously happy chappy.
Arthur Baker
Meanwhile in the main room, the music was being served in a slightly straighter glass, with Studio Apartment’s Masa thumping out the vocal tech house to rapidly swelling crowd, the upbeat party atmosphere occasionally interrupted by various members of the Defected staff rushing through the throng with a concerned look upon their faces, searching the sea of faces for a sound guy/artist manager/another useful person. No-one else seemed to notice these semi-panicked occurrences however, and the night flowed steadily onwards.
The Room 1 and 2 helms were then taken up by DJ Gregory and Treasure Fingers respectively; the former delivering a set littered with his own productions and heavily smeared in the influences of his recent trips to Africa, while the latter – probably a little less familiar to many of those in attendance – did an exceptional job of packing the small second room to the point of discomfort. But while the body may have been jogged and bushed past almost to distraction, the ears were treated to a joyously diverse set, which kicked off with the Jazzy-M re-sampling ‘Together’ by Those Usual Suspects, and moved through jackin’ house and wailing vocal cuts all bound together with a shitload of energy.
DJ Gregory
Forcing my way out of the room I bump into The Shapeshifters’ Simon Marlin, just arriving with the rest of the Nocturnal Groove massive. “Is it pretty chaotic at the moment?” he asks, eyeing the seething masses behind me. “Why, what do you need?”. “Sambucca…I think it’s gonna be one of those nights!” Happy that he hasn’t asked me for anything beyond my – at this point in the night frankly limited – powers, I hand him a large glass of the clear liquid, and proceedings take a distinctly aniseed-scented turn from there on in (forgive me if my recollections of the evening are not entirely accurate, but it was a party after all).
While Chocolate Puma gave the main room a damn good pounding with their exclusively own-material set – with their latest tracks ‘Tonco Tone’ and ‘MFS’ sounding particularly devastating on the especially drafted-in Vision Acoustics soundsystem – Ben Westbeech was providing a vocal-based alternative in Room 2. With a firm base of deep, techy, soulful grooves – taking in the likes of Maya Jane Coles and Discreet Unit – he laid his beautifully restrained vocals lavishly over the top, resulting in an exultant hour of performance from a clearly extremely talented chap. Ending with his own ‘Butterflies’ from his forthcoming album which was especially well-received by the packed, swaying crowd, his set was undoubtedly a highlight of the night.
Ben Westbeech
Full disclosure; the rest of the night has melted in my memory, and is now a fuzzy, Sambucca-stained image smeared sloppily across the back of my brain. I do remember trays of shots being handed out behind the DJ booth at one point which may have something to do with the distinct lack of clarity, however a few things I can recall. Rae delivering a typically powerful live PA, totally owning the stage with her thick, lustrious voice and epic high heels; dancing my feet sore to Aaron Ross closing out room 2 (“I was playing for this guy!” he shouted as hit set finished, slapping me heartily on the back…what a nice guy!); Junior Jack & Kid Crème, The Shapeshifters and finally Copyright delivering the kind of dancefloor bombs that make grown men weep (but merely made the Panama crowd reach higher and higher for the unseen sky above their happily bobbing heads) and MC Shurakano lavishly spreading a thick layer of tasty vocal icing all over the highly decorative yet dangerously alcoholic cake that was the party.
Thanks and apologies must go out in equal measure. Firstly, thanks to all the Defected staff, DJs, everyone at Panama and everyone who came and parties hard enough to make it one of the stand out parties of ADE 2010. And the apologies to all the Defected staff, DJs, Panama staff and everyone who came for being at best a little forgetful and at best an alcohol-befuddled fool trying desperately to clasp the fast-evaporating shreds of memory in my Red Bull stained fingers. But, in my defence and as I’ve said before; it was a party – and a damn fine one at that.
Words: Greg Sawyer
Check out all the photos from the night here
Still got some party left in you?? DJ Gregory and Rae will be joined by Dennis Ferrer and Tensnake this Saturday for Defected In The House at London's Ministry of Sound - click here for more info and tickets
