- In recent years, the efforts of New Zealand's techno, house and disco communities and the rise of lo-fi dance labels like 100% Silk, 1080p and Mood Hut have drawn an increasing number of indie rock fans into clubs across Auckland. This new audience has meshed with the traditional electronic crowd, bringing new energy and allowing parties such as Friendly Potential and Anno Domino to be more adventurous with their bookings. Where the late '00s and early '10s generally brought the odd visit from big room acts like Derrick May and Nick Warren, this summer the city was treated to a series of wicked performances from Jack J, Bicep, Floating Points, Hunee, Tama Sumo & Lakuti and more.
Sex Tags Mania chief DJ Sotofett was the latest visitor, booked for a six-and-a-half hour set at Whammy Bar in the city centre. The basement venue has shifted between hosting bands and club nights for several decades, and its intimate vibe suited Sotofett's wild DJ style to a tee. It also helped that the sound in there was fantastic—the promoter, Friendly Potential, installed their custom rig—and that photography on the dance floor was prohibited. All there was to do was dance.
By midnight, Sotofett had already been in the mix for two-and-a-half hours. Playing mostly vinyl, he worked the decks with pinpoint precision, threading together house, disco, techno, dub and ambient. His set moved in stylistically cohesive acts, which he'd puncture every so often with a well-placed curveball (a dose of clattering jazz, or an extended Brian Eno piece). Clubbier highlights included Underground Resistance's "Jupiter Jazz," Metro Area's "Caught Up" and 20:20 Vision's classic remix of Blaze's "Lovelee Dae." Around 3 AM, he dropped Soha's "Les Enfants Du Bled," a freaky afro-house number that had the room in a spin. Whatever he played, the dance floor held.
While I was at the bar getting a drink, an out-of-town producer mentioned how excited it felt to be making techno in New Zealand right now. Soon afterwards, a well-known local DJ told me that the last six months were the healthiest the city's nightlife had been for years. Surveying the scene around me, it was hard to disagree. Things feel extremely promising for underground dance music in Auckland right now.