- Despite plummeting temperatures in Dublin -- the capital already in the grip of another icy winter -- the city's late-night music bods seemed undeterred by the coarse Irish weather with more than a substantial number of people venturing out onto the streets in search of an early pre-Christmas boogie on November 24th.
Situated on Middle Abbey Street, tonight Traffic, in partnership with Electric City, gave revellers a choice of two floors and two completely different musical persuasions, appealing to fans of alternative and purist electronica.
This year, Electric City has flown the flag for quality electronic music in Dublin as much as ever, bringing in renowned artists such as Derrick May, Dave Clarke, Surgeon and Roman Flugel as well as allowing talented Irish performers a chance to move local floors.
Pre-gig hype around this particular night had centered on the fact that tickets had sold out well in advance, causing a furore and leaving some people literally out in the cold, queues forming as early as 10:30!
On entering the club, the vibe became apparent from the outset with D1's Ross Carew serving up some very fine, bassy, minimal grooves using tracks such as Ricardo Villalobos' "Chromosul"(Perlon), Monolake's "Invisible Force"(Imbalance) and several from the new Dandy Jack album, also on Perlon.
The DJ booth, which had been moved to allow the DJ to become more of a focal point, was positioned such that the more anorak of clubbers could get a close-up view of all the action.
Intricate, soft, tribal percussion built up the atmosphere as the music intrigued the listener with Daniel Bell's "Squirrel Bait" offering us delicate infusions of rhythm and nocturnal noises.
Seemingly not in a real rush to go anywhere, Carew's set was suitably composed in nature, allowing the floor time to find its feet without pressure. Providing a guiding hand to keep things in order and using tracks from Mark Broom, Baby Ford and Kompakt's DJ Koze's ("Raw"), the foundations were firmly laid for the night
ahead.
At 11:45, Giles Armstrong added an edge to the intimate club using some darker, drum-led tracks and amplifying the response of those on the floor.
In direct contrast, the Traffic bar upstairs was hosting a mixture of ska, reggae and relaxed rock, providing a chill-out area for those with no serious attachment to rhythm as Johnny Moy made his way onto the decks.
Back downstairs a mix of Green Velvet's 'Flash' weirded out the venue as sinister stuff oozed out of the speakers and the stage was now set for an experimentation in noise. Massive cheers announced that the Plastikman hath cometh! Just after 12:20 Richie Hawtin, sporting the now obligatory blonde comb-over, was ushered through the tightly-knit crowd into prime position in charge of the sound.
Standing in the booth next to Giles Armstrong as he finished up his set, Richie eyed up the crowd in preparation for his set. A needle appeared to skip causing the beats to lose sync and momentarily let us know that we are all human but this was soon corrected and the crowd who by this point, were really up for it, were finally given what they had been waiting for.
With a reputation that preceedes him, Hawtin seems to appeal to fresh-faced youngsters and stalwarts of the electronic scene alike with his stripped-down futuristic techno that is steeped in Detroit yet differs both structurally and in texture. A conceptual artist in his own right, Hawtin has refused to conform to anything on a commercially-viable level - check his many intelligent, forward-thinking outings on his own Plus 8 and Minus imprints.
Just as the drums were beginning to intensify, the speakers appeared to give out leaving just the monitors operating as bewildered-enthusiasts tried to figure out whether the night was going to come to an abrupt end or if Richie was just toying with them. A few minutes later, and the speakers kicked back in to roars of approval as noises spluttered and bass-bumping techno was unleashed upon us.
Make no mistake, Hawtin's recent studio excursions are smooth, polished, almost crystaline productions but tonight's raw, live experience showed that Richie can make a party bang like no other; jarring rhythms causing the subterrainean club to ignite. It appeared as if the walls and ceiling were indeed melting with condensation running down them as the cosmopolitan crowd teeming with a mix of local techno cognescenti and uber-cool European girls became locked into the groove.
Playing some of his Shufflephunk material and using a vibrato effect at times, the dynamics of his rhythmic complexity began to envelope the floor as arms, legs and other body parts struggled to keep up with the pace, Richie all the while looking like he was out for a stroll in the park. Nodding occasionally, his attention to detail seemed to take priority over any attempt to abuse the situation for DJ dramatics.
In terms of technological advancements for the manipulation of electronic sounds, Hawtin has long lead the way where others have just seemed to follow. Having jumped over to Final Scratch some time ago he often leaves many trailing behind when it comes to embracing new concepts while still adhering to the age-old method of rocking a dancefloor outside of the studio.
An atmospheric Ricardo Villalobos track found its way into the set alongside discombobulated, insisting beats that just seemed to touch a raw nerve with everybody as Hawtin's trademark skeletal rhythms were interspersed with meaty basslines.Tracks from Stewart Walker and Sleeparchive got a look in as the pitch bended on occasion and the now writhing masses were well and truly lit with the bespectacled among the audience suffering foggy vision.
Swishing, swirling, bubbling noise brought excitement from the crowd before the classic Robert Armani's "Circus Bells" had its modulated ring getting whoops of delight from the onlookers and a track sounding like a Jeff Mills production got a spin. An edit of Beltram's "Energy Flash" got chopped up into small pieces before being dumped with a bang to one side spinning the club out of control. Even the bar staff were hopping up and down by now and in fact, seemed to have more room to manouevre than anyone else in the club.
Biting, snarling rhythms brought the night to an end with the sweaty fans left in no doubt as to who they had come to see. Our journey on the minimal highway ended and there were some who almost needed to be peeled off the ceiling while Hawtin shook hands and signed numerous signatures.
One got the impression that tonight's snapshot of Hawtin's live performance had only scratched the surface, and he could have played longer into the night were it not for our Draconian licencing laws.
Once banned from entering America for 18 months, Hawtin has proven himself to be an iconic figure amongst the followers of innovative electronic culture and let's hope we see him again in the not too distant future.
Special thanks to Giles Armstrong and all at Electric City and Traffic.