- In the two years that Animals Dancing promoters have been around, I've been reluctant to review their parties. Firstly, it would mean some degree of concentration, which is completely against the party's ethos, and, secondly, there's a selfish desire not to share tales of these events with anyone else. Ordinarily, each Animals Dancing event hosts a DJ that runs their own party in whichever area they're based, and someone accustomed to playing until well after their booked time has ended. Subsequently, it was a surprise to see Chicago-based house producer Tevo Howard locked in for a one hour live set at the night's usual home, the Mercat Basement.
On the night, local producer Andras Fox kicked off proceedings with his live show. Though it was not a performance that many of the Mercat regulars would be accustomed to—or even necessarily like—the young artist is still something of a cult favorite in Melbourne. Tapping away on his Monome interface, his beats were fresh sounds on the basement's Funktion One sound system.
There was no MIDI controller to be seen when Tevo Howard took to the stage with a TR707, TR909 and a 303 clone accompanying a laptop. For one hour, Howard tweaked and adjusted his way through most of his recent material. The 303 clone was used sparingly, obviously being well practiced in building each track up and then bringing it back down. His sequencing of the Top Shelf September mix of "Autumn Spell" was particularly memorable, with the gentle piano progression lingering over the 909.
Having played for over an hour with an added encore, the American departed at 3 AM. Despite his excellent showing, it was a strange feeling given Animals Dancing's regular "fuck-the-time" attitude. Nevertheless, the reins were handed to residents Andee Frost and Otologic, who played a wonderful versus set on a DJR400 till 7 AM. While it was the international headliner who supplied the live entertainment, it was the local DJs that took the party to its height—evidence that a party's a party, no matter who's in control.