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Science Fiction Summer Sound System |
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Reviewer: Richard Brown Claremont Showgrounds: "Make sure you include the terms 'uplifting' and 'soul changing!'" a guy screamed at me midway through Sasha's set while I was scribbling down notes. He was pretty insistent, so I assured him it would be done - and there it is - I'm a man of my word. But while grand descriptions such as those are certainly not out of place when trying to sum up the 2002 Science Fiction Summer Sound System, they are not necessary if trying to convince anyone who was there. If you had the experience of catching your breath as you walked into the main room for the first time, hearing the transcendent sounds of May, Shadow, Hype and all the rest, feeling the excitement pulsing around the arena as Sasha stepped up to the decks or even just seeing the cheesy grins plastered on the faces of the thousands who attended, then you'll know it was an amazing day. I spent my first few hours at Sci Fi wandering around the sun drenched grounds, getting a feel for the layout, and for the vibe going down around the different rooms. Cruising the grounds of the Claremont Showground provided a great excursion into the various facets of electronic music culture. And while yes, distinct contrasts could be discerned between the crews chilling out in and around the different arenas; there was still a definite sense of community in the air, which is such an important part of the whole epic summer festival feel. The unified atmosphere proves that the genre-Nazis who squabble back and forth on certain posting boards thankfully represent only a minority of ravers. I think the harmonious co-existence of a d'n'b room and a hard trance room in an enclosed area proves peace still has a chance. George and Sadaam - take note! The early artists set the cogs in motion admirably; Lumberjack dropped driving trance with skill and verve, while Greg Packer showcased a funky variety of drum 'n' bass to the devoted punters who were there from the early going. Following Greg's set, Shimon took over and pushed out a mind blowing session of tunes aimed straight at the dance floor. While summer's warm glow made this mid-afternoon set a bit too taxing for most people to give their full, hard dancing attention, those who did were more than satisfied. One d'n'b aficionado I know rated Shimon's set as the highlight of the day, and said it was a crime the audience was so miniscule. Meanwhile Warren and Chad worked the sprawling main room into action. This space really was a sight to behold, combining the warehouse feel of your traditional rave with ultra high production lighting and sound. The massive size meant it was never uncomfortable either, no matter how many people wanted in. The only room I've ever seen that compares was the main floor of the Entertainment Centre at the epic Digital party in 2001. Hopefully this new venue will not go down the same path as the Ent Cent; as long as there's no fascist, irresponsible journalism this time around, I don't think there'll be a problem. As the day progressed the DJs continued to produce stellar work, the back to back sets from Nick Fish and Nick Sentience were swelteringly hot, in terms of both atmosphere and their room's temperature. Matrix however was again a disappointment to many of his fans, as his set lacked energy and creativity. The man certainly has talent, but he's probably another case of a guy who is stronger in the production area than in live ability. No such criticisms can be leveled at Si Begg or Simon Digby, who both provided fittingly magnificent sets to preface Derrick May, one of the spiritual fathers of his entire genre. Like the main room, the Tek Arena was splendidly put together, providing a classy headquarters for Perth's voraciously passionate tekno community. Once the sounds of GT started pulsing through the air, my Sci Fi experience began to really transcend into the kind of party we all dream of. They don't come along too often, but when they do, everything is worthwhile. I had my reservations about GT, thinking that he might be dripping in commercial cheese. I was thoroughly wrong though, as he layered scintillating progressive cuts over one another, building to furious crescendos without any Wild 9 style soaring synths. Once the grinding, winding excellence of GT came to its conclusion, up stepped three guys I had no reservations about. Infusion have blown my mind every time that I've seen them, and again the reacquainted my jaded soul with the reason I love quality progressive house so dearly. The sound was rich in organic, tribal flavour, and relentlessly amped. By the time they dropped a mind bendingly awesome cut of Great Southern Land the atmosphere was … well I can't really describe it, because no words I can think of do it justice. It was really, really good. When Sasha finally appeared the crowd, predictably, went nuts. The opening stages of his set exhibited none of the progressive prowess he is famous for however, instead showcasing long, trancey soundscapes, occasionally punctuated by a drifting break beat. The first half an hour was very much in the vein of the Airdrawndagger album, which is certainly brilliant, but in my opinion a bit to cerebral to be used to a great extent in a live set. The opening stages certainly lulled much of the crowd into a trance-like state of anticipatory attention, however I thought it might have been better to maintain the pressure cooker state of excitement created by the two previous acts. Sasha knows more about reading a crowd than I do though, so I'm sure he had his reasons, perhaps the energy level would have blown out to early if he'd kept things thumping from the get go. Over on the Tekno side of things Derrick May launched into his set with a pounding mix of none other then … Tim Deluxe! Confused and bemused I wondered how the hell he was getting away with it, or more to the point how the hell he actually made the track sound kind of cool. I soon came to realize that Mr. May was being somewhat sarcastic though, as he suddenly stuttered the track out in a campy, deliberately amateur fashion, and then broke the silence with the detonation of a ridiculously pounding piece of tekno transcendence. It was almost like May was symbolically executing the purveyors of commercial clap-trap and then showing everyone the way it's supposed to be done. Such a forthright statement came as no surprise from a man who has spent career trying to opening people's minds to a more intelligent, soulful brand of electronic music. I would have loved to have stayed for his whole slot, but I'd been waiting years to experience a set from Sasha, so I quickly shuffled back through to the main room. The progressive baseline was now well and truly in flight and over the next two hours the crowd of over five thousand grooved to some of the finest 4 by 4 that I've ever heard. Sasha showed why he is such a master, combining spellbinding track selection with highly attuned technical ability. The time flew by in a rush, and before long my watch indicated there was only about ten minutes to go. As my crew and I geared up for the final climax to the incredible set, the sound suddenly faded into deathly silence. Scarcely able to believe it, I stood waiting for the bass to reignite, but I later learnt that despite Delirium's attentive compliance to sound restrictions, the council had for some reason decreed that time was up, and cut the power. This anti-climax naturally didn't go down well with the massive crowd, which is understandable since it is the second big party in a row where an international icon has had their set nipped in the bud. Delirium or Sasha are not the people to blame though readers, Perth's antiquated institutions of authority are the problem. Hopefully if we all keep up the same exemplary behavior the powers-that-be will return the favour and loosen up. Getting agro doesn't help matters, and it's especially unfair to direct your aggression at the poor DJ who is left to cop the flak when their set has just been cut three tracks short. Despite the early finish it was an amazing day filled with memories to cherish. There are still a few areas for improvement though. In future good ventilation is needed in all rooms, as the drum 'n' bass room reached sauna like conditions when the big internationals started ripping it up. Obviously Sci Fi was a massive logistical challenge - organisers had to fight with valor and grit just to use Claremont - and overall the organisation was fantastic. The progressive and tech rooms were both exceptional in terms of lighting and ventilation, if the trance and drum 'n' bass rooms can be raised to similar levels next time around, then Perth has just about the best festival venue one could ever hope for. Hopefully getting Claremont again shouldn't be as arduous, since Delirium skillfully managed to satisfy the council's various restrictions, while still keeping the sound levels suitably bangin'. All and all Delirium should be saluted for handling difficult circumstances with a great deal of aplomb in most areas. Though I didn't witness it, DJ Shadow and DJ Hype produced sets beyond belief according to most people I talked to, so fans of all genres walked away with plenty to be happy about. It was a landmark music festival for this city in more ways than one, and will echo through the memories of Perth's party people for a long time to come.
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Linup:Sunday 8 December 2002Presented by Triple J, Channel V and Delirium.Ecko Presents 33 And 1/3 Outdoor Stage :
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