- By now it would be unnecessary to recount the events of last summer. Bloc has returned with a series of ten parties covering some vital ground. Along with current tastemakers like L.I.E.S. and 50 Weapons sit original electro and hip-hop acts like Man Parrish and Egyptian Lover. It felt like a statement to book Model 500, the nearly 30-year-old Detroit techno outfit headed by Juan Atkins, for the first edition. A fresh beginning. "Rebooted," as Bloc themselves put it.
A thread of electro ran through the entire night, especially early on thanks to Rebel Intelligence and Joe Hart. Model 500 followed and were fantastic. All four of them stood on stage behind various synths and hardware wearing black (Banks' face not covered this time). They looked every bit the "Detroit takeover" they were whooping about over the mic. The set ran through all the tracks you'd hope for, hitting classics like "Cosmic Cars," "Night Drive" and "Future" as well as more recent cuts like "OFI." A warm techno thud started up about halfway through, before the group fell back into their more familiar machine funk with "No UFOs," the first Model 500 single. The DJs afterwards—South London Ordnance, Billy Nasty and Atkins solo—were heavier on techno, but with a similar kind of upfront character. Tracks by the likes of Objekt and Jon Convex popped well on the crisp, airy soundsystem.
The room was dark enough for the blue lasers to zap your retinas properly, but still light enough that it was quite a sociable atmosphere. Autumn Street Studios isn't a large space. It's pretty much only one room, in fact, and not a very big one, so faces became familiar over the course of the evening. And it was really one of the most down-to-earth, friendly crowds I've seen for a while. This chemistry is one of the two things I always really liked about Bloc, the other being their music policy, which seems to cover all the acts you'd always wanted to see without being too driven by current trends. If there's still a demand for this—and it looks like there is—I can see them regaining their status. For now, I'm just glad they're back.