- Batu headlines a new club with a focus on experimentation.
- Saturday night saw the Bristol label Timedance arrive in Mexico City, with Batu headlining alongside recent signing Nico (AKA White Visitation). Batu and the label’s style could be described as the lovechild of UK bass, techno and dub. Arriving just after midnight, I ran into the local DJ Mya Gomez. Asking her what brought her out, she said she was looking for something different to dance to, away from the constant stream of perreos and dusty minimal techno nights.
Different is exactly what Terminal is trying to do. Open since May, the Centro Histórico venue wants to encourage experimentation, acting as a point of connection between local and international acts that share an uncompromising ethos. It's just one of many projects by the promoter Carlos Cruz that are helping foster the city's electronic music scene—others include residencies for musicians held in nearby forests and an initiative to bring local talent together to form experimental supergroups.
Terminal is a tiny venue, occupying the basement of a late 19th-century art deco building. The stage sits oddly in the middle, flanked by moody red velvet curtains. The abundance of old wood and chandeliers gives it an anachronistic air, but all together it adds up to something pleasantly authentic. In the black light and artificial fog, you can picture people partying in the space across 100 years, cycling through the century's musical stylings. I arrived in time to catch most of Nico, whose style of hard-hitting techno felt very 2018.
Batu changed the pace, opening with a harrowing string quartet, which led into a devotional chant. People stood still and ready. When the bass hit, everyone became expressive. The defining sound was a blend of polyrhythmic bass compositions and the occasional sequenced synth. The chanting returned roughly on the hour, giving the set a kind of circular continuity. Batu's "Murmurs" created tension with its wonky, tick-tock beat. Bbymutha's "Rules," a huge banger, was another clear highlight. As the night drew to a close, the crowd thinned but the dancing became more determined. Bodies writhed in the light like glowing jellyfish.
Photo credit /
Layla Fassa