Future Elements 5 @ Uni Bar (31/5/03)
Reported by Tristan Saturday, May 31 2003
Like it or loath it, Future Elements events inevitably draw a crowd and an excessively large one at that. While the production crew have been together for far longer, in the short space of 16 months, the Future Elements parties have cemented their place as the first choice of the Tasmanian clubbing community.
But as with any good drama, the FE roller coaster has had it?s fair share of twists and turns. After enduring the loss of two venues, a particularly lacklustre set from a previous headliner and the ever present sense of scrutiny and expectance from a cautious scene, the first FE of 2003 was announced with the unveiling of a few tricks from the sleeves of Damon, Dave and Scott. Of course the intrigue and anticipation was sent straight to fever pitch with the knowledge FE5 would be setting up shop in none other than the newly refurbished Uni Bar.
As the name suggests, FE is about expansion and setting new limits, and without a doubt if anyone could overcome the untested dynamics of the venue and optimally establish not one but two rooms it?s them. Not afraid to give up and comers a chance, FE5 featured 14 local DJs alongside headliners Sydneysider?s Phil Smart (following in the tradition of obscure choices) and Fuzzy Breaks guru Q45.
Upon entrance, things were running smoothly with two packed dancefloors and a smiling crowd. In the Fuzzy Breaks Arena, Adam Turner was dubbing away, with the throbbing bass verging on a WOMD. In fact, the cringe factor was set to high when considering how much counter weight had to be on those needles to stop them skipping due to the oppressive bass and frenetic stomping of the crowd.
In the Future Arena, Damon had a full dance floor despite playing more laidback than normal. It was a perfect warm up set, keeping the crowd moving while keeping them fresh for Phil Smart. As a DJ hellbent on maintaining his underground credibility, Phil Smart?s inability to compromise for the crowd was disappointing. With no need to overstate it, there was a visible distinct dip in crowd energy when Smart started playing. It?s been previously stated how he has always been one step ahead and another step sideways and it?s safe to say he sure mystified (ambiguity intended) the dancefloor. When he took over from the energy of Damon, you could literally see the dancefloor slow down from bursting at the seams to nodding away. It indeed was an awesome warm up set, unfortunately wasted to a degree by Phil Smart. Phil Smart did improve to a degree 30 mins in and he did have a full dance floor when I came back later so perhaps I?m being overly cynical.
The success of Future Elements events are undoubtedly aided by lack of events on a rival scale. The effect of this is they draw not only the serious music enthusiasts but also the party crowd pulled to the atmosphere and while a DJ is supposed to entertain and educate I can guarantee the majority of the FE5 crowd weren?t chin strokers wanting to be educated, they?re people who have come along for the night out and for the vibe. To put it bluntly how far the overlap was between Phil?s self proclaimed pro-tech and German electro house was not a major discussion point for them. His inability to maintain a hand delivered pumping atmosphere may well have been.
So faced with bar music or a sure bet, I took the odds on favourite. With hand speed to rival Martin Reeves, SpinFx worked hard producing an intense set as always, playing music for the party and not resorting to just flangy flange flange. Maintaining a good crowd the whole time, with the key word being enjoyment, it was a great set of music contrasting the niche underground journey the crowd in the main arena were unknowingly being taken on. Returning to catch the last 15 minutes of Phil Smart and things had indeed greatly improved with the drive which had previously been so lacking now front and centre. While the electro and tech were still there, now was the primal energy which people could finally grasp.
Back in the Fuzzy Breaks Arena, Q45 was banging out The Streets - Has It Come To This. Obviously not afraid to play all the styles which has so far brought him success, his sets make for a wonderful well-rounded showcase of his heritage. As he has previously remarked ?It?s one thing to be eclectic, but the hard part is to be able to mix different styles together so that it flows?. This he had no problems with, easily bridging a number of diverse yet familiar branches of two-step, dub and breaks.
In a big vote of confidence from local promoters, Matt B was given the post headline slot and he couldn?t have asked for more. For want of a better analogy (or even an adequate one), the dancefloor had been in the starting blocks for two hours and Matt was handed the starters gun. Finally presented with something to get their teeth into they lapped it up like the malnourished bewildered sheep they were. With his many years of hard work and perseverance behind him, the results are starting to arrive, though surely it?s time to lay Lala Land to rest. It sure as hell didn?t reach classic status so let the dust settle on that particular record slip please.
Playing the tunes you recognise and have a degree of familiarity with, but of which you have no idea of the name, Matt finds a superlative equilibrium between playing for the crowd whilst maintaining his musical integrity. Sure he made a few mistakes but the important thing was he gave the crowd what they were dying for. The way the crowd took off to the 4/4 energy of Matt?s hybrid form of driving house and progressive without the slightest touch of darkness, should send a clear message to promoters.
Last to play in the Future Arena was SMC who started with some subdued tech house to the point where it verged on deep house with a tech house beat and bassline. Worries were quickly abated however, as he moved through spacey areas before resuming his normal brand of relished and relentless tech house.
As, the Future Arena begun to wind down, next door the Fuzzy Breaks Arena was just peaking. Jamm was interesting and not just for the fashion (maybe The Sharp were right). In all seriousness you had to see it to believe it. With a mixing technique which still half perplexes me and half stuns me, it can safely be said it?s a style unlikely to adorn the ones and twos at Bedrock. Basically completely non existent yet somehow it worked like the sweetest of dreams and to say the crowd was in a frenzy would not be doing him justice. The longest a record was allowed to actually play would not have exceeded a couple of minutes and when he did bother to mix, it was horrendously out of time, but it just didn?t matter, not in the slightest. The guy must now be coming close to a cult hero and the music he played made Model T?s harsh DnB look like something Benita would sing to Big Ted and Humpty. Between throwing records back into his shopping bag and playing the most horrendously warped vinyl the only thing to rival the bewildering spectacle of just watching Jamm, was the ferocious dancefloor activity he had at his complete control. Coming after this local DJ enigma was a hard act to follow but was a task belittled and mocked by the ability of Model T who played the flowing species of DnB with touches of soul he so deeply links himself to.
There?s a fine line between bravery and stupidity and those standing in front of the speakers had to be treading that line very carefully. Indeed seemingly the way the sound overlap between the two rooms was overcome was by firing up the speaker wattage so goddamn loud, unless you were in the weakest point it was impossible to hear anything but the room you were in. So I guess the point is they solved the problem and made a few audiologists richer in the process. Though as always, the sound had so much bass yet didn?t overcompensate for the other freqeuncies with the vocals remaining very clear. Movement between the two rooms generally worked despite the one door, however the access was most likely a result of the limited time permitted to set up the venue. As is now expected of them, Non Click/Click did an amazing job supplementing the auditory appeal of the night with their uniquely abstract brand of temporal wall furniture. Their visuals were poignant as always, with the dog hanging from the tree branch particularly thought provoking.
Five instalments in, one wonders what the Future Elements juggernaut has left to achieve. Not by choice, they have been forced to confront significant challenges and yet never fail to not only overcome them, but to continually set new precedents for event production in Tasmania. With the Uni Bar passing it?s first serious test, the outlook for local venue choice has improved a significant degree. In such a small scene, the hope for a purpose built top class venue will always fight a losing battle against reality, however the multi purpose Uni Bar looks to be able to somewhat satisfy the ravenous hunger for supreme production, the Tasmanian scene is so typically starved of.
Clearly, if you combine top class production, a driven management team and an awesome facility, you?re going to have an exceptionally successful event. But we already knew that didn?t we? After all it is Future Elements we?re talking about.
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