- April 1st is usually a day many among us fail to take seriously, a day when hilarity takes centre stage in that time honoured tradition. It may have been All Fools Day but towards the evening in Waterford, an air of urgency swept through town in eager anticipation of the arrival of Jeff Mills.
Since his early involvement in Detroit's Underground Resistance with 'Mad' Mike Banks and Robert Hood, Mills' work will forever be etched into the minds of those familiar with modern electronic music. Confronting the mainstream music industry with revolutionary ideologies and helping to define techno, the trio refused to be involved in much of the marketing hype that exists today, instead devoting serious time to their work. Mills went on to set up his Axis label, and later Purposemaker, while also inspiring many copycats in his style of turntabilism.
Walking up the stairs to the main section of the club I was slightly surprised to see a packed house at only 11 o'clock! The word had obviously spread among Waterford's very own 'resistance' but people from as far away as Belfast had also made the long trip down. What surprised me even more was the fact that Mills was due on at half 11, which meant almost three hours of the Wizard!
Residents Gavin+Mac had paved the way earlier for Niall Power, who was treating us to Joey Beltram's 'Instant' - the classic '96 Tresor release that still sounds good in a club with its tough, jackin' groove. I just knew there was some serious dancing instore tonight as Power brought us more up-to-date with Paul Kalkbrenner's 'Tatu Tata', building the crowd's energy up slowly. Finishing with Mr.G's 'Flight', Power managed to keep the energy in the room until the end of his set, but in a sense, almost subdued it in preparation for the man from Detroit.
The sound abruptly changed as Jeff Mills recklessly slammed in his first track, causing everyone to look upwards to the booth positioned far above the floor. Huge cheers in response to his familiar appearance heralded a notable swell in dancers on an already busy floor. Following some freaky techno and a few tough openers, in no time at all Mills had the crowd moving with real purpose, quickly stamping his mark on the club.
The rerub of 'Strings of Life' by Rhythm is Rhythm sent everyone into spasms of delight; a timely intervention from the resilient groove before the intensity returned with some razor-like Robert Hood tracks and tribal workouts that diced the crowd. Soon after, an update of Garnier's 'Astral Dreams' caused serious commotion, hypnotising myself and many others - but who could blame us?
Ben Sims' re:edit of 'Good Life' by Inner City hopped out of the speakers with its decadent synths urging us on. I've heard many people play this track but for just one brief moment in time, Mills made it sound truly amazing! The crowd now lost in the music, tuned into the vibe with heads and bodies shaking as he unleashed more strong Beltram tracks before another big moment arrived in the form of the Mayday mix of 'Jaguar'.
Mills applied more throttle with Surgeon's 'Intro' (version 2). The every beat, everybody dancing impact reminded me of his 1996 gig at the Ormonde Multi-Media Centre in Dublin, although tonight his mixing was a little less frantic, letting each track play a little longer. At about 1:30 the sting was taken out of the rhythm assault as proceedings got deep and spacey; Jeff giving the floor a well-earned breather and by God, we needed it!
Tracks from DJ Preach and some melodic building techno initiated the rising tempo once again and a new lease of life was injected into the night as we were carried off at the whim of the wizard! The re:edit of 'Energy Flash' brought an ominous air across the floor and one feared some sort of apocalypse as its spooky riffs took hold. Throwing the rulebook out the window, Mills put old and new side by side in the unlikeliest of combinations with an old E-Dancer number next to the current Joris Voorn release, 'MPX309'. Serious shit indeed folks!
Sweat dripped from every pore inside Ten and thoughts of its great soundsystem blowing weren't out of order as the booming techno pushed it to within an inch of its life! Cranking up the tempo even more, another gem from the past arrived in H&M's 'Suspense' - proper techno I tell thee.
Unlike some, Mills also applies a certain minimal ethic to his performance; his understated mannerisms as he works the groove speak volumes, leaving all the showboating to the glamour boys.
Mills proved tonight that he still knows how to innovate as a DJ. Combining melodic moments of beauty with brutal intensity, he kept every person in the venue fixated on his every move and sound. While it was his first play of 'The Bells' which earned the biggest roar of the night, he also used the classic to great effect in his encore, simultaneously cutting up 2 copies and hammering out some twisted beats on the Roland 909. As the beats got faster and faster, the club spiraled into oblivion until the place almost exploded - what a finish!
So much has been written and said about Jeff Mills and what he does but one really has to witness his live set to truly understand what an experience it is. He may now be 43 but judging by the smile on his face at the end he still appreciates the chance to give people a memorable night out. Tonight's effort by Mills was a stunning display of his ability to shake a club to its very foundations and will rank highly on the list of the best nights out I've ever had.
Special thanks to Mick at Resistance and all the staff at Club Ten.