- Techno can be subtle, complex and emotionally intense, and every now and then it really takes your breath away. Jeff Mills and the BBC Symphony Orchestra's Light From The Outside World, while loose, uneven, and occasionally self-indulgent, was like nothing I've ever seen or heard before. As Mills and the orchestra worked their way through classical reinterpretations of the Detroiter's Axis back catalogue—Mills stage left on his trusty TR-909—it was hard not to be swept up in the occasion.
Arriving at The Barbican Hall moments before the orchestra took to the stage, it was difficult to imagine Mills's tough, celestial strain of techno fitting within the venue's opulent setting. An assortment of chin-strokers and grizzled old techno heads all sat, somewhat awkwardly, as Mills made his audience wait.
After an opening burst of strings, Mills announced to the crowd that Light From The Outside World was "based on an idea that there is something outside of our consciousness, that we are not alone." Other than this opening monologue, though, there were few of the usual sci-fi references. Instead, vintage pumpers like "Gamma Ray" and "Imagine" were lent a warm, earthy atmosphere backed by violins, horns and double bass.
The combination of classical instruments and relentless 909 rhythms worked better at some points than others. It took a while for the whole performance to click, and anti-climactic closer "Bourgie Bourgie" came off a little twee. But when it worked—the bongo breakdown in "Amazon," the horn-led malevolence of "Sonic Destroyer," "The Bells"—the experience felt transcendental, original and joyously incongruous. After all, it's not every day that you and 2000 others get to dance to Detroit techno in the aisles of a classical concert hall.
Photo credit: Mark Allan