- was pretty stoked that Rowie and the RA crew came through with tickets for Ewan Pearson's Friday night show at Bamboozled. As you may be aware, Ewan has been churning out top shelf remixes for a number of years alongside his solo stuff on Soma. Freeform Five "Perspex Sex", Seelenluft "Manila", Playgroup "Make it Happen", Depeche Mode "Enjoy the Silence" and Blackstrobe "Me and Madonna" are just a few of the songs that have had the Pearson "touch", and copped a fair caning in the fair city of Melbourne for some time. Then of course there is the debate and conjecture surrounding that remix of "Midas Touch". Suffice to say Starskee and Pearson are not one and the same, so let's just leave it at that shall we.
After last year's show at Honkytonks, and casting a keen eye over Pearson's blog (http://www.ewanpearson.com/enthusiasm) one could say I was approaching the night with my own fair share of enthusiasm. The show in December last year featured some amazing music, a large slab of which originated from Pearson's new hometown, Berlin.
The Bamboozled crew have been incorporating classic 70’s & 80’s TV shows into their Friday nights for some time now. Their parties often include installations, fancy dress and flyer artwork related to such classic shows as The Addams Family, The Brady Bunch, Punky Brewster, Diff’rent Strokes and Family Matters (remember Steve Urkel!) to name a few.
On this night, the cult TV show “Monkey Magic” would receive the Bamboozled treatment. As soon as we made our way inside Platform One, we spotted a Pigsy replete with pointy ears and snout-nose, and a Monkey clone with gold headband in place. We had wondered why a section at the back of the club was closed off to the punters, and the answer was soon provided when a pair of martial artists began sparring with one another and breaking blocks of wood with various parts of their body. Great to see the effort the organizers had put in.
On the dancefloor Rowie was warming the crowd up nicely with a great selection, leading into the start of Ewan Pearson’s set with the classic Prince tune "When Doves Cry" (possibly the Kid Kut remix).
Ewan took to the decks with the classic Beverley Hills Cop theme tune, Axl F, mixed up with what I think was a Blackstrobe track. Micatone’s Plastic Bags and Magazines (Tiefschwarz mix) made it’s way into the mix before Pearson begin to delve into a bit of heavier territory. The dancefloor was heaving at this stage, and I noticed a drip fall from the roof – the heat had created a bit of a perspiration/condensation problem, so John Tejada’s tune “Sweat on the Walls” was an apt choice.
The energy Pearson was able to create on the dancefloor was amazing, with intense buildups and beautifully timed drops making the crowd go wild. Much of the music on the night defied classification, with elements of house, techno and electro all featuring in equal measure. Pearson showed once again that his DJ skills are on par with his production work.
Boogs had the task of taking over and mixed some great party tunes, 2Raumwohnung's “Ich und Elaine”, LCD Soundsystem's “Disco Infiltrator”, Justice vs Simian's “Never be Alone” were all well received by the packed dancefloor. Pearson came out to join the crowd and was really happy with the response he received on the night. He was joined by Peter Kirk from the Outlaws, the man he would be playing alongside the following night at the Absolut Cut bar in Richmond.
Pearson and the Bamboozled DJ’s had been joined onstage by a Japanese “beckoning cat”, again tied to the Monkey Magic theme and thought to bring good luck and prosperity. It certainly worked a treat on the night.
Thanks again to Resident Advisor and the Bamboozled crew for one of the best nights this year.