- Almost a year ago, statistical demi-god Nate Silver shot off the following tweet: "Shocking how few Americans I saw in Mexico City even in tourist areas. It's on the verge of becoming a world-class city if it isn't already." At the time, it felt prescient. Today, it seems a given. After years of being known as a violent, polluted termite's nest, Mexico City is starting to realize it belongs in the big leagues. And increasingly, the city's underground music scene mirrors that fact. The arrival of Bristol's Pinch and Addison Groove to play the debut JAM party was, for me, a clear indication of the heartening sea-change underway here.
To begin with, the venue was cool. A former car park in a scrappy part of town with low roofs and corrugated iron shutters, the warehouse-like space was totally different from the usual over-bouncered clubs where most foreign acts end up. As I arrived a little after midnight, Addison Groove was about halfway through his set—a skittering, laptop-driven affair that took in everything from dub to footwork with little pause for reflection. It was fun and bouncy, and with his ruddy quiff and bottle of spirits in hand, he did a great job of winning over the crowd, an eclectic mix of gays, goths and mustachioed artists.
"It's nice to see they made the effort," Pinch told me as he waited to come on, watching his Bristolian pal entertain the crowd. Though he'd squeezed in an extra gig in Detroit, the JAM party was Pinch's main booking on this trip, and he was clearly impressed by the financial risk-taking—good soundsystem, solid visuals, full bar staff—on show.
When Addison Groove bounded offstage, he was followed by Mexicali's Siete Catorce, whose slow, bass-heavy cumbia didn't gel with the soundsystem. His set was a low point in the night, taking the energy out of the room and leaving Pinch with the hefty task of re-energizing it.
It was a challenge the Tectonic man lived up to, delivering an attitude-heavy shakedown of thunderous dub, half-step techno and malarial jungle that had the crowd begging for more. There was just enough time for a swift back-to-back between Addison Groove and Pinch—which ended, somewhat epically, on Underworld's "Born Slippy"—before the lights came on around 5 AM, revealing a thinner but more dedicated smattering of sweaty bodies.
JAM's debut outing was so fun, so carefree and so well-executed that it felt like a party of far greater pedigree. Mexico City can only benefit from more events like these, which alongside BPM earlier in the month and Mutek's local leg last year, are turning Mexico into an emerging dance music location.