- Friday, January 31st was a big day for the electronic music scene in Buenos Aires. Not only was Ricardo Villalobos playing for the first time in four years, he was also bringing Zip and Margaret Dygas with him. Crobar was the venue, and it was completely sold out. Helped along by insanely priced resale tickets, the hype in the week leading up to the event was huge. After all, this would be many people's first chance to see Villalobos in action.
Margaret Dygas started the night with some groovy minimal techno that kept the floor moving as people made their way into the venue. As time wore on, the Panorama Bar regular began to really find her feet, with dark, melancholic beats that perfectly suited the time of night. Met with a round of warm applause in the middle of her set from the now bustling crowd, she responded with a timid smile, thanking the audience.
Next up was Zip. The Perlon boss kicked off with a strange, beatless intro that largely fell on deaf ears. He soon found his form, however, intoxicating the room with his signature brand of microhouse for the duration of the next two hours. Right before Ricardo was scheduled to appear, Zip took things in a darker direction, signing off with some tough-sounding techno. Finally, the main event. Coming on at 4:15 AM, Villalobos would play for the next four hours.
And so, what of him? His set, minus a few imperfections, was flawless, evoking the kind of super-charged atmosphere the Chilean is known for. Following Zip's lead, he played fast and hard for the first two hours, turning out groovy, minimal-inflected techno. Nestled in amongst the beats were a couple of Villalobos staples, most notably local boy Franco Cinelli's remix of Cassius' "Sound of Violence." The remainder of the set was split into two parts. The third hour comprised mostly driving tech house, fusing hypnotic basslines and latin percusion with weighty grooves. The highlight was "Up," a track Villalobos made in collaboration with Butch as Butric.
For the final hour, Villalobos let intensity dissipate in lieu of emotion, working in his remixes of Mari Kvien Brunvoll's "Everywhere You Go" and Depeche Mode's "The Sinner In Me." As he closed with a slice of salsa, some French-sung electronic tango and an acappella from local hero Anibal Troilo, it was easy to see why Villalobos remains such a favourite across South America. Argentina, for one, really missed him.