- Despite so much to feast on over the festive period, healthy has not been the word of association in recent descriptions of Paris nightlife. Reading local and international press would lead you to believe that a smoking ban was at fault for an incoming apocalyptic end to "going out" in Paris. Strange that, as on the prize turkey of nights—François K at Rex on January 2nd—I could have counted almost double the amount of people I had seen at an F Comm-affiliated night almost ten years ago at the same venue.
Perhaps these critiques enjoy an old-fashioned bit of drama, but what the hacks missed out on is that nightlife in Paris will never die. There will always be high price clubs with big name bookings. But there were also always be underground parties, the likes of which helped now-household names such as Ivan Smagghe and Laurent Garnier grow to become internationally known beyond their Paris base. Indeed, it was Garnier's Wake Up nights at Rex that many point to as being at the roots of the city's electronic music scene. And—on this night—it was all about roots as well, with Kevorkian taking to the decks for La Pequena Atraxion, an infrequent party arranged by the staff of Trax Magazine.
It was an excitable and energetic crowd: The club was close to full just after 1 AM, not at all a normal Parisian occurrence. The soundsystem was powerful and the dance floor was moving and breathable, but the DJs were difficult to connect with, hidden as they were behind a glass booth at the rear of the club. Nonetheless, the pumping electro house on offer from Chris Carrier and Timid Boy—although somewhat missing the idea of a warm-up—seemed to be what the crowd wanted.
As Kevorkian appeared at the booth complete with MacBook Pro, intricate machinery and a fetching pair of glasses, it looked like he was preparing for something of a sonic examination. Thankfully, the wire-stacked booth was positioned in front of the glass booth and within touching distance of the floor, which by now was rammed. The set went here and there, never climaxing but frequently hitting peaks and troughs. Unfortunately on this night though, it would have to solemnly be said that there was more troughs than peaks.
Perhaps Francois K just read the crowd for what they were—up-front and in need of that energy to be reciprocated directly with the music—but his selection of more contemporary music was obvious and brash. Electro house crashed around like a bull in a china shop in comparison to the lush and deep references to Detroit amongst other classic tracks. As the set continued to lead up blind alleyways and back again, the club thinned out slightly, and some reprieve was found in some Studio 54-esque house and disco. It had a groove altogether smoother if not quite limp in comparison to the infrequent judder of the rest of the tunes, which often seemed more suitable for an Ed Banger night.
While François K has been a prominent exponent of a daring and adventurous mixing style for over twenty years, on this occasion the mixing was smooth but the journey was tainted. It was body without soul.