- James Holden returned to New York on January 21, 2005, with the support of Made-Event, which are now starting to throw parties at the mega-club Spirit. Spirit occupies the space that the hallowed Twilo used to fill. Although I told people that I would not return to the space, I really wanted to see James again and this was the closest chance I was going to get!
I had not seen James play since WMC in 2003 when he I think he was still trying to get his head around DJing. However, the young Oxford grad has come a long way since. His sound in the studio has matured and crossed over into other genres, and his skills behind the decks have sharpened immensely.
I arrived on 27th Street at about midnight and got in rather quickly. James was playing some tech-y almost minimal stuff to get the crowd warmed up. The room had changed appreciably since I left at the end of a Sasha and Digweed night so many moons ago. The low ceilings that used to house the monster Phazon sound system has been opened up and a second floor has been added. The DJ booth is on the second floor and hangs over the floor. I really do not like the new spot as the punters lose all connection with whoever is playing, and vice versa.
I am not sure what the lighting guy was doing as the room was pretty dark the entire time. I understand the dark, moody feel to a club, but I am not sure that the space of the room fits the “blackout” idea of things.
The tempo never got too fast, but I felt like every time I turned around I heard his remix of Nathan Fake’s “The Sky Was Pink.” There were an assortment of bleeps and blips mixed in with an electro feel. There was one funky tune that stood out which had the vocal of, “It’s not you, it’s the E talking.” I have a feeling that it is going to be quite popular in the sunshine state toward the later half of March!
It felt as though a large portion of the crowd never really got into the music. There were groups that never seemed to move, let alone dance, to the tunes! Things really got going after 2:30 when James played his own remix of Britney Spear’s “Breathe.” It is quite an amazing track and sounded great on the new system. However, the tune of the night came next when the guitars of Infusion’s “Love and Imitation” started coming through. I have loved the tune since hearing it at the end of the Aussie’s Essential Mix, but never heard it on a proper system. It absolutely destroyed the floor and seemed to be the climax of the evening.
The rest of the evening tended to have a very progressively melodic feel to it. It was a good way to run out a solid set. Mr. Holden seems to have really gotten his feet under him behind the decks and seems much more comfortable now. If you haven’t seen him lately I suggest giving him another chance. You won’t be disappointed!