Reviewer: Richard Brown

MOS Chillout Festival

Connoisseurs of deep and funky house were in paradise at Mounts Bay over the March long weekend as Delirium presented the Ministry Chillout Session. A sizeable crowd flocked to the waterside venue that also recently hosted the highly successful Sunshine People.

Somewhat unusually, the sounds of a big-time international were already in full flight when I arrived at the Chillout during its early stages. Highly respected US producer Miguel Miggs had a show in Canberra to make the same evening, so his Perth slot was jammed in as one of the openers. Despite a timeslot that didn't match his status Miggs' class shone through even brighter than the scorching sunshine that burned overhead. Showcasing the lushly layered deep vocal house style which his releases epitomise, Miguel flawlessly mixed a smooth selection of laid back grooves with grace and verve. The dropping of his recent Naked Music release You Bring Me Up, was a personal highlight. Given the soaring meridian and early timeslot, the set didn't get people grooving like it should have as the vast majority of those in attendance enjoyed the tunes from the shade of trees and tents. Probably a smart idea really, as it would be unwise to collapse from heat exhaustion only a couple of hours in.

Once Miggs' high quality curtain raiser came to its conclusion, it was over to the cream of the house fraternity's local lads to maintain the standard for the next few hours. First up were Adam Kytka and Warren 10 who certainly didn't disappoint. The boys transitioned smoothly through a delicious selection of fresh cuts, punctuated by lots of sonorous sax, lush synths and deep, funky 4x4 bass-lines. This style built the lounging, summery vibe perfectly, and over the course of the afternoon Cee, Tamar, Mr Bourke, Adam Kelly (one of Perth's finest house ambassadors) and Geisha resident James A all kept up the quality. The tunes gradually began to exhibit more of a driving, hard-edged sound in anticipation of French duo Cassius, who were the number one reason why many of the crowd were there.

The other arenas were fairly scantily populated, but they were serviceably supplied with beats by the locals. Greg Packer's funky brand of d'n'b was a winner, while the rising star of young DJ Koosh again shone brightly in breaks land. Somebody around town give that dude a residency!

Dusk heralded the arrival of Cassius, and the beginnings of a beautiful evening greeted Phillippe Zdar and Hubert 'Boombass' Blanc-Francard as they dropped the needle. The stage was now flanked by a sprawling crowd who swayed along to sexy, bouncy backbeats. Mounts Bay was again a richly evocative sight as a gentle breeze rippled the water and the sun sunk beneath the cityscape. The smooth, filtered French house sound that Cassius played a big part in popularising a few years ago was only occassionally noticeable, as they have moved into a more dynamic, varied brand of house music, with grinding bass lines that keep the sound gritty and hard-edged, as well as organic samples filtering through from string and percussive elements. As the set began to take on a more crescendos and epic note, it started raining anthems - Cassius's soaring hit from yesteryear My Feelings for You went down a treat, while the inevitable airing of their latest chart success The Sound of Violence (which was teased into the mix over the course of two or three tracks) also received a roaring reception when it finally kicked in. The guys were pretty impressive technically as well, except for occasionally beat skipping, which could quite possibly be due to the copious amount of dope that was consumed whilst mixing. Perfect beat matching isn't easy whilst under the influence of a hefty amount of green, but they tried and good on them.

Towards the latter stages of their set the French duo moved into minimal, deep house territory and eventually began to lose some interest from the crowd who had been amped up by the more festival orientated anthems. Despite this, their set as a whole was very accomplished, and most people were well impressed. Stars were now twinkling overhead and it was over to the more than capable hands of Derrick Carter to finish things off in the main arena.

I wasn't planning on catching much from the other two rooms, however once I entered the breaks tent to the sounds of Cut La Roc it was hard to leave. The guy had the place going bonkers, with a set that took tunes from the nu-school practitioners such as Layo and Bushwacka and the Plump DJ's as well as infusing the set with older classics such as Underworld's indomitable Born Slippy. Frome's Kick a Hole was also a big winner as well as the breaks reworking of La La Land which was again aired, and just like at Sunshine People, received with great rapture. What amazed me though was extra jolt of energy that the set continually received through the skill and complexity of La Roc's mixing. The dexterity and precision of his scratching and cutting was some of the finest that I've ever witnessed, and it took the hi-octane set to another level.

Over by the water Derrick's tune selection was aimed squarely at the funk side of things and he took in a variety of influences through deep house, heavily percussive, funked-out progressive and the odd hip-hop remix. A Missy Elliot cut was a nice surprise, and got hips shaking, while the saucy innuendo of DJ Sneak's Fix My Sink was also a highlight. Carter's mixing was immaculate throughout and he bobbed along to the beats with trademark enthusiasm.

The set never really moved into heavily anthemic, hands-in-the-air madness though, which some of the crowd were craving, so there were sections who were disappointed by Derrick's set. However anyone with a deep love and appreciation for quality house music was rapt throughout, and the masses who screamed for an encore when the clock struck 11, reflected the general consensus that Mr Carter rocked the show.

All in all it was another banner day, and now that Mounts Bay has a two for two record at hosting great events, it seems set to become a staple summer festival venue. With the first half of the dual event long-weekend now a fond memory, it was time to catch a few hours sleep in prep of Two Tribes, which had a tough act to follow.

Richie Brown

Contact : Richie Brown

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Saturday 1st March 2003

Presented by Delirium.

Chillout Sessions Arena :
Derrick Carter (3 hour set)
Cassius
Miguel Migs
Plus: Adam Kelly + Cee + Tamar + Mr Bourke on trumpet; Warren 10 vs. Adam Kytka; James A; Rudy vs. Dave Jackson

Loaded Dice DnB Arena :
Marcus Intallex
DJ Wildchild
Plus: Concept; Greg Packer; Adrian Sardi; Diamond D and MC's Jay Rippa; Sev; Assassin; Lurch; X-essiv

33 and 1/3 Breaks Arena :
Cut La Roc
DJ Hyper
Plus: Paul Watters; Max Veritech; Dazz K; Koosh; Smoulder