- Boston's Together is a low-key festival that makes a big impression on anyone who attends, whether they're artists or punters. It shines a light on a small and dedicated scene that often gets overshadowed by the bigger cities around it, inviting the cream of dance music talent to play very small venues—which is easily the best thing about it. Where else are you going to see artists like Ben UFO, The Black Madonna and Henrik Schwarz in a 120-capacity cocktail lounge with impeccable sound? The festival's seventh year was its best yet, primarily through refinement: rather than growing larger and more sprawling, Together has narrowed its focus. Every day of the week there was at least one—and often several—things to look forward to.
Here are five key performances from across the eight days.
Jackie House
San Francisco's four-strong Honey Soundsystem are on a roll right now, so it's rare to get to see one of them on their own. Jacob Sperber, AKA Jackie House, had the spotlight all to himself this time, opening the festival on Sunday night (alongside a larger event featuring Floating Points) with a DJ set at ZuZu, a venue I'd never been to. It was the kind of spot that you only come across at Together—a restaurant that didn't even hold 60 people—and it felt like a gutsy place to put an out-of-town headliner. The atmosphere at the event, which was hosted by monthly genderqueer party Houseboi, was rowdier and more welcoming because of the intimate quarters, like being at a private house party.
A drag queen and king performed before Sperber, underlining the party's queer theme. He followed with one the best sets I've ever seen him play. Sperber has long seemed like the odd one out in the crew, a jack-of-all-trades compared to the other members' more defined personalities. But at Zuzu, he played a slapping, no-nonsense set of house and techno, leaning on a Jimmy Edgar-inspired sound that featured plenty of stabbing chords and heart-palpitating drums. It was the perfect soundtrack for a crowd of 59 gays, lesbians, queers and festival staff.
Fatima Yamaha
Fatima Yamaha capped off Monday night's Dekmantel showcase, which was also the first night at cocktail hang-out Middlesex Lounge. The 120-capacity space is Together's signature venue and you can see why: it's the perfect size, ringed by comfy seating for when you need a break from dancing to the surprisingly powerful soundsystem.
The club was remarkably busy for a Monday, and the night was well-programmed: Palms Trax stirred the crowd with some feel-good italo and disco jams, before Juju & Jordash brought things into headier territory with a solid performance. Fatima Yamaha found a balance between the two, using an array of gear to riff off his sing-songy tracks and candy-sweet melodies. Bit by bit he built up to the big moment that everyone was waiting for, dropping "What's A Girl To Do" just at the right time. It was as perfect a climax as anyone could hope for, inspiring several group hugs on the dance floor.
Wigzen
I went into Friday night's RA showcase, which took place at the rock venue Middle East Downstairs (Together's biggest venue and "central stage"), expecting to be blown away. Sure enough, KiNK and Jon Hopkins almost took the roof off. The latter mashed all sorts of dance sub-genres into a heaving, emotional sound, while the former brought out vocalist Rachel Row to spice up his already flamboyant and fiery set. But it was opener Wigzen, AKA Wigbert Caro, that came out as my surprise favourite.
A local producer who makes big, melodic dance music that's easy to like, Caro performed an hour of his own tunes (as well as a cover of a Bob Moses song). He was joined by violinist Alina Psaros, who layered his songs with bright streaks of colour, doubling up on the vibrant melodies and highlighting the nuance of Caro's compositions. I'll admit that I was skeptical when I saw first saw the duo warming up with a guitar and a violin, but the instruments were incorporated seamlessly.
Optimo
JD Twitch and Jonnie Wilkes, already a favourite of Middlesex Lounge's weekly party Make It New, took the reins all-night long on Wednesday. They performed a typically eclectic set to a small but dedicated crowd, which, if they'd wanted to, may have allowed them to stretch their legs a bit. But after an initial two hours of percussive tracks, African jams and other tunes of indeterminate origin, the Scottish duo went straight into crowd-pleasing mode. They teased the bassline from Prince's "Kiss" a torturous amount of times before finally letting loose its taut, rubber-band funk. Then came even more obvious anthems like Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" (actually a cover version from the early '80s by an Indian singer) which four hours in felt almost earned. Their set was a reminder that being a stellar DJ isn't always about digging out obscure cuts—sometimes it's about playing the right thing at the right moment, even if that means dropping tracks that everybody's heard a million times.
Ben UFO
Ben Thomson played the final set at the festival's first-ever daytime closing party. Held at Middlesex, the afternoon scheduling was a boon for those ravers who'd been at it for eight days straight. Taking over from Bicep, Thomson had the crowd in the palm of his hand, playing techno alternately hard-edged and sinuous, dealing with broken drum patterns, jagged basslines and bright melodies with ease. His set came to a triumphant finale with Floating Points' "Nuits Sonores," whose searing, acid-streaked breakdown had an almost spiritual effect on the remaining, exhausted few. Eight days of a festival is nothing to sneeze at—or to underestimate—but it's also an embarrassment of riches. That's the best way I can think of to describe Together: an event rich in music and experience.
Photo credits /
Optimo - Brandi Bishop
All others - Nick Minieri
Fatima Yamaha Fatima Yamaha capped off Monday night's Dekmantel showcase, which was also the first night at cocktail hang-out Middlesex Lounge. The 120-capacity space is Together's signature venue and you can see why: it's the perfect size, ringed by comfy seating for when you need a break from dancing to the surprisingly powerful soundsystem. The club was remarkably busy for a Monday, and the night was well-programmed: Palms Trax stirred the crowd with some feel-good italo and disco jams, before Juju & Jordash brought things into headier territory with a solid performance. Fatima Yamaha found a balance between the two, using an array of gear to riff off his sing-songy tracks and candy-sweet melodies. Bit by bit he built up to the big moment that everyone was waiting for, dropping "What's A Girl To Do" just at the right time. It was as perfect a climax as anyone could hope for, inspiring several group hugs on the dance floor.
Wigzen I went into Friday night's RA showcase, which took place at the rock venue Middle East Downstairs (Together's biggest venue and "central stage"), expecting to be blown away. Sure enough, KiNK and Jon Hopkins almost took the roof off. The latter mashed all sorts of dance sub-genres into a heaving, emotional sound, while the former brought out vocalist Rachel Row to spice up his already flamboyant and fiery set. But it was opener Wigzen, AKA Wigbert Caro, that came out as my surprise favourite. A local producer who makes big, melodic dance music that's easy to like, Caro performed an hour of his own tunes (as well as a cover of a Bob Moses song). He was joined by violinist Alina Psaros, who layered his songs with bright streaks of colour, doubling up on the vibrant melodies and highlighting the nuance of Caro's compositions. I'll admit that I was skeptical when I saw first saw the duo warming up with a guitar and a violin, but the instruments were incorporated seamlessly.
Optimo JD Twitch and Jonnie Wilkes, already a favourite of Middlesex Lounge's weekly party Make It New, took the reins all-night long on Wednesday. They performed a typically eclectic set to a small but dedicated crowd, which, if they'd wanted to, may have allowed them to stretch their legs a bit. But after an initial two hours of percussive tracks, African jams and other tunes of indeterminate origin, the Scottish duo went straight into crowd-pleasing mode. They teased the bassline from Prince's "Kiss" a torturous amount of times before finally letting loose its taut, rubber-band funk. Then came even more obvious anthems like Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" (actually a cover version from the early '80s by an Indian singer) which four hours in felt almost earned. Their set was a reminder that being a stellar DJ isn't always about digging out obscure cuts—sometimes it's about playing the right thing at the right moment, even if that means dropping tracks that everybody's heard a million times.
Ben UFO Ben Thomson played the final set at the festival's first-ever daytime closing party. Held at Middlesex, the afternoon scheduling was a boon for those ravers who'd been at it for eight days straight. Taking over from Bicep, Thomson had the crowd in the palm of his hand, playing techno alternately hard-edged and sinuous, dealing with broken drum patterns, jagged basslines and bright melodies with ease. His set came to a triumphant finale with Floating Points' "Nuits Sonores," whose searing, acid-streaked breakdown had an almost spiritual effect on the remaining, exhausted few. Eight days of a festival is nothing to sneeze at—or to underestimate—but it's also an embarrassment of riches. That's the best way I can think of to describe Together: an event rich in music and experience. Photo credits / Optimo - Brandi Bishop All others - Nick Minieri