- Upon hearing that Jimmy Van M and Lee Burridge would be coming to Chicago for a six hour tag-team set, the match-up seemed a bit curious, if not out of the ordinary. On one hand, there’s Burridge, known for his deep house roots that have taken on a break beat and techy edge as of late. Conversely, there’s Jimmy Van M, co-founder of the Balance Promote Group and purveyor of all things progressive. Regardless of what one might initially surmise, it was definitely going to be an interesting evening.
If you are a fan of dance music, both names should immediately ring a bell. As an original member of the U.K. Tyrant outfit, Burridge has played around the world and released compilations for such monumental labels as Global Underground’s “Nu Breed” series. He is also a monthly resident alongside Craig Richards (fellow Tyrant member) at London’s top notch Fabric nightclub. Lee’s sound is incredibly unique and constantly evolving, evidenced by the diverse tracks he spun at Vision.
Jimmy Van M, like Burridge is both an innovator and a visionary. Whether it be releasing mixes on John Digweed’s Bedrock label, opening up the Delta Heavy tour for Sasha and Digweed, or running the Balance Promote record pool (amongst the most elite in the United States), it’s amazing the man has time to chock up as many miles DJing worldwide as he does.
Spundae’s Saturday night at Vision opened its doors at 10 p.m. and the crowd started flowing in, preparing for a long night of nasty beats and throbbing rhythms. Local favorite (and up-and-coming producer) Pat Foosheen got things started with a tight set of melodic grooves. Around midnight, Jimmy Van M took to the decks, playing his signature ambient break beats that were a fixture on the Delta Heavy tour. It was immediately evident that attendees were in for a long night, and things were just getting started.
Burridge got things rocking when he took over the decks, playing robotic house that gently rides the wave between tech and progressive. Slowly the BPM’s began to rise as the room for movement in the main room fell. The mixing was tight and both DJ’s complimented one another with the greatest of ease.
As the night progressed, so did the music. Jimmy Van M.’s sound stuck mostly to the deep, dark sounds that have characterized many of his productions such as “Jetlag” and “Love like Sheep”. While sticking to mostly four on the floor rhythms, it was nonetheless nice to hear a break beat thrown in here and there.
While both DJ’s played spectacular sets, Lee Burridge arguable held the upper hand for most of the night. He kept things moving with a handful of break beats as well as the tech house sound which is slowly making its way over the States via the U.K. Around the half way mark of the evening, the crowd was entranced by the duo’s music. Suddenly, Groovemate’s “Right Here, Right Now” dropped and with the lighting in full effect, Vision took on the appearance of an object not of this world.
Spundae is still relative new to the Chicago scene, but with the load of talent they have been bringing in (not to mention upcoming performances by Sasha, Sander Kleinenberg, and The Crystal Method), they are giving the Windy City what it has been craving for a long time – a super club with multiple rooms and loads of talent.
Lee Burridge and Jimmy Van M may seem like an odd match-up, but together they were outstanding. It was also nice to see Burridge shaking his booty on the dance floor while Jimmy handled the one’s and the two’s. Indeed, Spundae’s inaugural Saturday night in Chicago was an evening to remember.