- For audio snobs, the depths of San Francisco's recently renovated Monarch in SoMa was possibly the best place in the city to hear Detroit's Kenny Larkin. The veteran producer was recently in town with fellow Michigan native Monty Luke, throwing their One Nation Underground Party on a Saturday night. Anyone in the know would have been saturated with the punchy clarity of Monarch's state-of-the-art Void sound system, which was recently imported from the UK. As the crowd filled in, cranking up the humidity index and overflowing into the stairwell, Larkin took to the decks, driving rumbling basslines and crisp hand claps to a room already warmed-up room thanks to Monty Luke.
Larkin's slot was a throwback to traditional Detroit techno, transmitting his signature style and giving everyone something jack their body to. Monarch has quickly established itself as gathering place here in San Francisco for techno heads, so familiar faces were in no short supply. While some lounged in the corners of the chasm, most moved to the selections from Larkin, an artist whose sounds are being rediscovered by a younger crowd thanks to semi-recent efforts on Dirtybird and Defected.
The party carried on smoothly until closing, with just one or two bumps along the way (presumably due to the excessive bass), leaving everyone soaked in their own sweat and ears ringing in the aftermath of Kenny Larkin's successful showcase of a sound and style that has inspired DJs worldwide.