- London's Southbank is arguably the cultural epicentre of London, stocked with landmarks like the Tate Modern Gallery and British Film Institute. Each year, the Southbank Centre puts on Ether, a "music festival of innovation, art, technology and cross-arts experimentation." If you're of the inclination to appreciate electronic music as more than just something to get down to, it's always been a bit of a goldmine. Last year I saw Mouse on Mars soundtrack Herzog's Fata Morgana, and the tenth anniversary this year saw 2001: A Space Odyssey with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Tim Exile's hands-on Jamshops and a sold-out evening with Pantha Du Prince and Apparat.
So after a beer on a temperate evening overlooking the Thames, we headed inside to the modern and fairly modest front room of the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Walls was busy on the decks, and although not as Walls-y as I'd like it to have been—he acted as a support DJ rather than a formal act—he had a diverse, open-hearted bent, warming the place up with the likes of "Analogue Bubblebath." The system really started crackling, though, when Apparat and Pfadrinderei took to the stage, working in tandem to create something of angular beauty, starting from ambience and eventually ending up in his familiar mode.
There were a few tracks from his DJ Kicks mix ("The Shrew Would Have Cushioned the Blow," "Tempest") with bass, glitch and grandiose melancholy crashing throughout, and it all ended up on "Rusty Nails" and "Let Your Love Grow." Although enjoyable, more of a live touch would have been nice, but Pfadfinderei's (or one member thereof) visuals fit completely as an extra dimension, moving through water spurts, triangles flying through space and a cloaked figure that floated and stuttered.
After Walls had gone again—harder and scattier this time—Pantha Du Prince assumed his position in a mirrored hood, with a silver ornament rippling next to him and projected on the screen behind; but all black otherwise. "Satellite Snyper" and a few others from Black Noise set the tone, with a thudding 4/4 heartbeat and warm, serene lushness. The sound, though, was disappointing—murky and missing detail—to the extent that it reduced enjoyment of the music. Nevertheless, it was satisfying to hear his tracks played out, and Apparat was great, with the arty surroundings making it all the more pleasurable.