- It wasn't unreasonable to imagine that Plex, Colony and Machine's first joint showcase would be a successful one. The roster was packed with some of the world's most exciting and highly respected techno artists, and Corsica was a great place to have it as well, especially with the expansion into the bar next door. It was also set to be an appropriate way for three of London's go-to nights for high grade techno to celebrate their respective achievements: Plex turning five, Colony turning three and Machine having a rapid rise to an international presence since its first event in February.
Even as a techno nut, I'll concede that events sometimes have a tendency to turn into mindless kick-fests, but not so with this one. With three different rooms came three different vibes, and a remarkably strong personality to the night musically. Of the rooms, the Machine room was probably the one which got storming the earliest, and carried it through. Rather than being homogeneous, though, there was plenty of character to the sets. This was complemented nicely by its setting in the bar, which kept some of its usual Spanish ambience with dried grass and coloured lights around the room. Surgeon, pushing Ableton as usual, played an upfront set—more than just rhythm and study—while Adam X's set was gritty, demolition ball stuff with ultra-solid breakbeat kicks.
Moving next door into Peverelist's spacious bass music felt like coming out of a mineshaft into an airy chamber. He clattered more towards the end, moving into garage, and the more hidden atmosphere in Colony's room 2 suited him well. As it did Andy Stott earlier on, who came on murky and dense, with heavy fog enveloping his cross-genre drumlines. In the wider main room, Plex's sound had a more electronic edge. Ancient Methods took to the stage with Ableton and APC40s (laptops and turntables shared similar billing overall) and Perc took over later on, alternating between playing live and DJing. Each duly slayed it in their own aggressive, distinctive styles.
The setup in Corsica is such that the artists and audience are physically close to each other, with the booths accessible from the floor only and, in the case of the Machine room, with the musicians literally within reach. Hand shaking and friendly interactions between the two camps abounded—there was no real separation, everyone was at the same party. That's not to say we didn't see them play up to the crowd, with Adam X, to give one example, working everyone up to a frenzy with hand gestures. Despite an intimidating lineup, it seemed everyone was down there to do no more than chill together and soak up some great music. Nobody else in London is exploiting the current rich health of the techno scene in the same way, and there’s already talk of another one, so you should probably watch this space.