- While the majority of the 85,000 festivalgoers at T In The Park worshipped the likes of Lady Gaga and Kings of Leon on the sun-drenched main stage, dance fans knew exactly where to find their favourites. The Slam Tent has been the home of electronic acts for more than a decade at the event, a place where Pressure regulars let their guard down amongst teenage ravers and festival virgins, decked out in day-glo paint and white sunglasses, happy to let loose to anything with a beat.
Silicone Soul opened proceedings this year with their percussion-heavy house set coaxing the first of the sleep-deprived campers into the tent before ClaudeVon Stroke arrived behind the decks. Fresh from rocking the Sub Club 12 hours previous, the Dirtybird boss stepped things up a gear with the upcoming Justin Martin collabo "Beat that Bird" and Bootsy Collins-featured "Greasy Beat."
After VonStroke, Laurent Garnier and his band took to the stage. Garnier spat ferocious drum patterns from his laptop, recoiling with every kick hit while conducting his three-piece outfit with an intense snarl and wild eyes. It was an electric performance and just when you thought you'd figured where he was taking the now-heaving crowd, he'd switch it up; drum & bass melted into "Crispy Bacon" before morphing into freestyle jazz, confusing and delighting partygoers in equal measure.
Closing with "The Man with the Red Face," Garnier forced his horn man into a lung-bursting solo, barking commands to the crimson-faced gent, and filtering the drums back to let the anthemic sax solo take effect. Then, with a polite "Thank you, T in the Park," it was over.
The day however belonged to Felix Da Housecat, the charismatic Chicago house don, who followed on from Green Velvet's predictable voiceover techno set. Opening with Proxy's bone-crunching "The Raven," he worked the now-full arena in a way I've never witnessed. The harder he played, the more they demanded. Revellers surged forward and a sea of glowsticks flew in the direction of the stage. "Silver Screen Shower Scene" made way for Nirvana's "Smells like Teen Spirit," which turned the place into an instant moshpit and had some partiers heading for the safe(ish) confines of the tent corners.
And Felix? He staggered back from the CDJ's for a sec, reached for his trademark Mescal—and with a devilish "ya'll motherfuckers gonna remember this one!!" smirk—slammed straight into his next single, "Elvis." The arpeggiated synth line instantly fried one of the speakers; Felix took to the mic to plead with soundmen to jack the sound up and with the 10,000 mad Scots behind him, who was going to argue?
2ManyDJ's disappointed, opting to go with a set that wouldn't have sounded out of place at a school disco. Dizzie Rascal's "Bonkers" predictably popped up, with Zombie Nation and MGMT's "Kids" served up in a sing-along style. Sure, the mainstream crowd lapped it up, but the Belgians could have pushed the boat out with some tougher tracks. As we headed for the exits shortly into their set, legs weary from nearly 12 hours of dancing, I couldn't help but feel Felix should have been the one to close the tent. Maybe next year.