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Reviewer: Richard Brown
MOS Club Nation 2003
The latest instalment of MOS once again graced Metros and Globe
on May 17, and this time the line-up in the main room had a distinctly
progressive lean. The tour was headlined by highly respected house
jocks Smokin' Jo and Lucien Foort, as well as Japanese legend DJ
Krush, who provided a little something for those who dig cerebral
hip-hop cuts.
Upon entry Adam Kelly was concluding the local showing in fine
style. The famously versatile Mr Kelly took on a dark and chunky
progressive house sound, and thrills abounded as when he dropped
Planet Funk's high octane number 'Who Said', in what would be the
first of three airings during the evening.
Taking over the reins from Adam was the statuesque Smokin' Jo,
who proceeded in upping the atmosphere to a heady level, through
a highly accessible set of deep progressive sounds, which often
traipsed into funky house territory and occasionally gave flight
to some UK club land anthems. The tune selection progressed through
ever more uplifting crescendos until kicking into Underworld's 'Two
Months Off', which brought the amped up dance-floor to boiling point.
Subsequently Joanne began to move into darker territory. The recent
release off the Junior label aptly titled 'Big Room Drama', showcased
her affection for beefy prog, while Thomaz and the Filterheadz'
peak-time floor filler 'Sunshine' provided an injection of tribal
energy.
A quick trip over to the Globe would reveal a mighty different
brand of beats, with diminutive hip-hop extraordinaire DJ Krush
taking control. It was the second appearance of a deity in two nights
for hip-hop heads (Grandmaster Flash brought his revolutionary talents
to Metros the previous night), and again fans of this genre were
treated to a performance they'll cherish for a long while. Krush
manipulated a broad spectrum of music with consummate fluidity,
throwing in jams from way out of left-field, along with several
well loved old-skool classics, and a number of immaculate cuts off
his own productions. Watching the man you could sense a deep focus,
which translated to awesome technically proficient turntablism.
The performance was regrettably brief, because of a late start and
slightly early finish. In spite of this, Krush's presence alone
was a deeply satisfying experience for his devotees and an eye-opening
education for newcomers.
Dutchman Lucien Foort, who enthralled us all with a magnificent
set at the legendary Digital 2001, was the man at the helm at Metros
after 2:00 am, and he put in a champion showing this time around
as well. Again the sound was predominantly progressive house, and
the heavy artillery of big-room tunes was mixed together with a
precise, delicate sleight of hand. The irresistible vocals of Planet
Funk's big hit were again a highlight (you know the one - "Detroit,
New York and LA … But I'm stuck in the UK!"), as well
as Foort's latest production effort 'Old Skool House Music'. The
former track was silkily transitioned into a great bootleg of 'La
La Land', which fuses the Green Velvet tune with a classic Donna
Summers number. This driving, techy bootleg is entitled 'I Feel
Pills' and got a mighty reaction. An animated Lucien looked like
he was having just as much fun as everyone else. He physically urged
the crowd on the whole way through, and had the massive room clapping
in unison during a stirring rework of Coldplay's 'Clocks'.
The 1200s were next handed over to the capable hands of Sydney
stalwart Ben Korbel, who took the crowd through to 6:00 am. Korbel
is luminary figure of the DJ scene on the east coast, and he showed
why, picking up right where Foort left off.
After Korbel took the die-hards on a quality journey through a
variety of house styles, the dance-floor predictably demanded an
encore. They were appeased with the blissful echoes of Lamb's 'Gorecki'.
As the bitter sweet emotion of this seminal number surged around
the arena, another spectacular Perth evening in front of the decks
was concluded in fitting fashion.
Richie Brown
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