- For a number of weeks an energy drink ruled London town's nightlife. Many of the shindigs hosted by the Red Bull Music Academy justified staying up til dawn's crack on a school night, then dribbling through work the next day. In a way I'm glad the five week binge of caffeine stimulants and dreamlike line-ups has come to an end. Otherwise a P45 would be imminent: Four hours sleep and a full day in an office does not equate to high levels of productivity.
The penultimate party organised by the academy was at the Scala in King's Cross and involved 12 dance music heavyweights including A Guy Called Gerald, Peter Hook, Heaven 17's Martyn Ware and MJ Cole playing their biggest 12 inches for a full 12 minutes.
With such a ludicrous concept for an evening's entertainment, it had the potential to be either a fest of off-the-hook envelope-pushing or ego-massaging on a grandiose scale. When we arrived, the initial vibe was corporate to the max with more snap happy photographers pushing their buttons than punters poking the ring of the rave with their fingers. With a crowd consisting of music business types flexing their right to a freebie, the party vibe resembled a cheaper yet self-congratulatory Brit Awards, more of a bad office do than a celebration of the finer moments of the circuitry of electronic music.
Yet our evening did begin strongly. MJ Cole spent 12 minutes gurning his way through "Sincere" in all its glory, followed by a recent Nero remix which pimps up the original with alloy wheels made out of low-end dubstep wobble.
Heaven 17's Martyn Ware almost showed himself up as a techno granddad. Resembling a nutty old uncle at a wedding with a butcher's ruddy glow, he kicked off with a hi-NRG europop version of "Temptation," complete with non-descript bellowing. It was difficult to decipher whether he was taking the piss or genuinely had no clue that this rendition was karaoke fare at its worst. Thankfully, the Sheffield dude just about reined the crowd back on side with a tough version of "Let Me Go," his strong blazered look and slick-backed follicles.
A Guy Called Gerald genuinely seemed to not give a shit. He took "Voodoo Ray" on a breakbeat odyssey, then nonchalantly handed over to a heavily set and bearded Arthur Baker. He proved to be one of the brightest stars of the eve, beaming the dance floor straight back to "Planet Rock" and a world of New York-based b-boy electro. Badman.
Surprisingly it was the drum & bass players who stuck a hoover up the arse end of the crowd, laying down some serious roof-raising tackle. Roni Size and Shy FX killed it with big sub woofing and rewinds. "On a Ragga Tip," "Brown Paper Bag" plus DJ Zinc's three track rinse totally knocked the Scala sideways. "Super Sharp Shooter," "138 Trek" and new bad boy "Wile Out," featuring a hyperactive Ms Dynamite, elevated the whole place into a real Red Bull-addled rave.
New Order's Peter Hook provided the finale to the bizarre car crash of an evening. Thankfully, his back shows no signs of giving up despite his increasingly extravagant rock poses. A 12-minute rework of "Blue Monday" complete with Dad-shaped moves was the climax to the musical side of things.
At the close, one of the compere's mounted the stage to proclaim the evening had been a piece of "history." Whether it was an odd corporate bit of backslapping with an evening of has-beens desperately attempting to hold onto their youth or a showcase of how far electronic music had come was unclear at the time. More than a few weeks later, I still can't quite decide...
Photo credits
Richie Hopson