- A lot can change in a year, but thankfully, some things remain the same. Last time Tama Sumo performed in New Zealand, she played a sublime late-night DJ set at a basement bar tucked away in Auckland's red-light district. This time, she returned for a Sunday afternoon back-to-back session with her partner and Uzuri Recordings boss Lakuti on the roof of the Auckland Art Gallery. The party was AD004, the final in a four-part summer series of events called Anno Domini. The series gave local electronic music fans an opportunity rarely afforded to them: the chance to attend a day party in the style of MOMA PS1's sessions in New York.
Located in a corner of Albert Park in Auckland's CBD, Auckland Art Gallery's rooftop offers views of both lush green scenery and urban cityscapes. The event area is a long rectangle. On entry, you're greeted by bar and food stalls (serving top shelf cocktails and upmarket street food), with the elevated DJ booth situated at the opposite end of the space. Although the first three events had landed on sunny dates, this time around a thunderstorm was waiting in the wings, so two large white frame tents were positioned over the dance floor. These came in use later on.
Over the course of four hours, the two Berlin-based DJs showed why they're among the best in the business. In the process, they highlighted the value of experience and practice over the new and the hyped. While the rain lashed down in tropical fashion, a crowd of young hipsters and older ravers gathered under the tents, dancing the evening away to a smooth blend of futuristic, sensual house, techno, disco and various resurgent club styles from across Africa. Working with turntables, CDJs and a rotary mixer, they worked at their own pace, taking their audience on one of those journeys where time slows to a crawl, cares and worries drift away, and dancing to music feels like the best thing in the world.