- It's been four years since Concrete took over as Paris's most forward-thinking club. What started out as a venue for Sunday morning afterparties and Berlin-style house and techno has progressively evolved, opening itself up to a more diverse range of sounds and a broader audience. Which isn't to say Concrete have lost their touch. Last Sunday's bash was, in fact, a shining reminder of just how good the team is at curating big events.
In some regards, the Rush Hour takeover felt more like a day at a festival than a clubbing experience. Apart from Soichi Terada, who performed a one-hour live set that tore the main room apart in the early afternoon, every DJ was booked to play for at least a couple of hours. Label-head Antal provided the first outstanding set of the day, gracing the sun-drenched Woodfloor with selections that moved from Fela Kuti's afrobeat and Lata Ramasar's mesmerizing "The Greatest Name that Lives" to obscure and upbeat acid melters. The crowd at this stage was still sparse, but nearly everyone inside was on the dance floor.
Next were Rush Hour's latest recruits, Interstellar Funk and Robert Bergman. They played an inspired and daring set, dropping The Rah Band's "Messages To The Stars," a cosmic gem that hit just as the sun was setting on the Seine. Hunee's flawless disco mixes were another highlight of the evening, even as Sunday night fatigue creeped in towards the end. Like many of his recent sets, it lent heavily on disco anthems dished out in his uniquely frantic, uplifting style.
The Rush Hour crew's main asset is their relentless musical curiosity. As a label and shop, they've grown to be one of the most influential institutions in Europe when it comes to oddball disco, rare ethnic grooves and innovative house. Over the course of the day, it seemed no dance sub-genre would be left untouched, from San Proper dropping The Stranglers' proto-punk classic "No More Heroes" to Antal's mellow reggae in the afternoon sunshine. As a touring collective, it's hard to think of anyone better suited to a daytime party.