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Sleepless Fridays All The Reviews
 Sleepless Friday #1: M.A.N.D.Y.
Bacardi B-Live resurrects 2007’s Sleepless concept in a new venue, with a new lineup, and through a new media partner. The new venue is one of Lebanon’s very few decent EDM clubs Basement, the new lineup kicked off with M.A.N.D.Y., and the new media partner is NRJ Lebanon. A lot of speculation has been surrounding the new wave of event organization in Lebanon, but actions speak louder than words, so here is the action that went down on the first Sleepless Friday.
I got to Basement just when Philip from M.A.N.D.Y. had taken over the decks. The club was slightly remodeled to align with the event series, with banners of the sleek Sleepless logo spread out across the high points of the interior, complemented by the trademark Bacardi bat. The sound system was boosted with a few additional speakers; anyone who’s ever been to Basement knows that it is home to the most carefully engineered sound system among our local clubs, and an extra pair of speakers only added butter to the pancake. Some adjustments to the lighting were also implemented, with vertical multicolored neon lights hung down the poles, in addition to a tiny boost in the existing system. So the audio-visual conditions were professionally met, leaving room to the music and crowd dimensions to make or break the night.
Crowd-wise, I was somewhat surprised at the generous turnout. I was expecting that Basement would be full given both the normal activity level of the club and the special feature of the night, but a counter factor was also at play on that night, namely that it was Good Friday, one of the religious days of the year where most people (particularly Christians) don’t go clubbing. I was in Gemmayzeh just before Basement, and Lebanon’s busiest pub-infected street was a quasi ghost town. Basement, on the other hand, was a full house early on the night, and almost everyone there was going specifically for the music, not just for another night out in town, which preaches an educated crowd attendance.
A club that’s fully packed with a quality crowd necessitates a DJ set that’s fully packed with quality music! Expectedly, Philip delivered such a set. It is inherently difficult to attempt to draw a description of Philip’s sound. I’ll play it safe and just depict as predominately dark, highly experimental, structurally chaotic, and often melodic in content – “avantgardiste” as Nesta described him. It’s also safe to say that the set was crowd-driving par excellence, as the crowd was truly raging it all night long, from the dancefloor to the tables to just about any open space available for feet stomping. Philip managed to maintain the energy level throughout his set, while intensely experimenting with fresh sounds, and while alternating between dark-edged grooves and melody-driven beats. His technical skills were also something worth mentioning in a review, as he showcased very freestyle-like transitions, not quite the conventional mixing you hear from most DJs. Overall, one hell of a performance from Philip that pleased both feet and ears!
A lot of people believe in the influencing power of first impressions. The first impression I had after attending the first Sleepless Friday was nothing short of positive and optimistic – positive towards the success of the night and consequently of the launch of the event series, and optimistic towards the coming Fridays to come. Next up is Michel De Hey, Carl Cox’s protégé, the Techno DJ that already left his mark on the Lebanese last year. On a personal note, this is the one Friday I am mostly looking forward to, as De Hey’s melodic touch renders Techno even more ear-friendly, and I’d expect an even more melodic set than last year given the more intimate venue (last year’s big room versus this year’s club). We’ll have to wait until next Friday for the mayhem to be unleashed, but what could be said for now is that Bacardi B-Live and NRJ sure took off on the right foot, scoring success on their very first joint venture, and leaving us anticipating similar future successes.
Sleepless Friday #2: Michel De Hey
The nod. The smile. The fist.
This expression can, alone, sum up the entire De Hey experience last night at Basement. Here’s why.
It was last year that I first discovered the DJ (later on discovering the producer) called Michel De Hey, through the same Sleepless event but in a different venue. Back then, De Hey was spinning in a big room to a couple of thousand ravers, but last night he was spinning in a small room to a few hundred clubbers; usually, DJs play different sounds in each of these two scenarios, but not De Hey. Why? For the simple reason that De Hey’s sound is too unique to split into two, and too wide-scoped to be needed to be customized to different venues.
I got to Basement just when De Hey had taken charge of his musical duties, and the club was already a full house. I honestly can’t remember the last time Basement was that packed. De Hey was already pumping out his signature Techno sound, starting off with some rather minimalistic material and gradually building. He’d throw in a teaser of a track that would get us aching, then switch back to his smooth flow, then another tease, then back to the flow. Even early on the night, the crowd was eating up those techy sounds like a fluffy fudge cake straight out of grandma’s oven. Grandpa Michel was well aware of this, and began taking his set to higher states.
Upon hitting peak time, with the walls rumbling and the clubbers roaring, De Hey unleashed his secret recipe that differentiates his sound from the industry standard – a careful blend of tech-edged grooves, reverberating bass lines, and uplifting melodies. De Hey has a way of locking you into his pattern, resurrecting your most subliminal instincts, and altering your state of mind altogether. As such is his pattern: he flawlessly mixes a tasteful selection in, and that aggressive beat just slaps you in the face… you nod your head. A humble melody begins creeping its way up from the abyss… you smile. Then that rumbling bass line slams against your eardrum… you pump your fist. You keep nodding your head over that beat, smiling over that melody, and pumping your fist over that bass line until the next track fades in, and you repeat that very same sequence, over, and over, and over again. Any addition to that description of the De Hey experience would be a waste of space. The nod… The smile… The fist.
Another outstanding Sleepless Friday from Bacardi BLive and NRJ Lebanon, exposing our ears to fresh, unexplored sounds. From the looks of things, it seems that the alliance of an experienced event organizer, a dominating radio station, and a pioneering club is proving fruitful. Next week holds a new challenge, with BLive and NRJ going trancy with Above & Beyond at Forum De Beyrouth, while the Sleepless Fridays take a one week break to be resumed on the 11th of April with Jimmy Van M. Until then, De Hey’s sound will remain resonating in the minds of all those who were wise enough to attend.
Nod. Smile. Fist.
Sleepless Friday #3: Jimmy Van M
Are you afraid of the dark?
If you are, you need to resolve that issue before ever seeing Jimmy Van M, else you'd be at risk of endangering your own psyche.
It wasn't Jimmy's first time in Lebanon, but it was my first time hearing him. I wanted to make an early arrival for the warm up by Hasan H, but I had a gig of my own elsewhere so I couldn't make it in time. I was even late for Jimmy's debut, but got a good idea of what sounds he was transmitting from that elevated DJ booth at Basement. Starting off with some deep grooves, Jimmy was already moving feet despite the low tempo and medium energy level of his selections. But it was halfway through his set that the musical madness was unleashed, precisely when Jimmy began hammering some melodic Techno to entrance our ears while those thumping bass lines were reverberating against our corpses. This well placed trippy part of Jimmy's set was a suitable transition from the deep darkness of his early moments to the energy-rich darkness of his late moments. For after the melodic trip was over, Jimmy brought back the techy beats and monstrous bass lines, leaving us no room to catch our breath. A truly outstanding level of energy dominated the crowd hereafter, with occasional bits of melodic content to gives us a much-needed break, after which the relentless darkness reigned again, charging our fists with enough momentum to pump, and our feet with enough adrenaline to pound.
While M.A.N.D.Y. was groovy and De Hey was trippy, Van M was all about energy, showcasing the highest energy level of the Sleepless series thus far. His acute understanding of crowd psychology and mathematical programming of his set last night made me understand just why he is the protégé of Sasha & Digweed, and why he is critically acclaimed by the scene authorities. Hasan H took over the closing duties as well, playing nothing but classy melodic Techno while stark raving mad over that poor mixer. Between all the positive feedback I received about the opening and what I heard in the closing in terms of tasteful selection and top notch mixing, I'd love to see Hasan H throw a solo set sometime soon! As for Jimmy Van M, it's imperative for him to come to Lebanon once more, and to bring all that darkness along with him.
Sleepless Friday #4: Francesco Farfa
The fourth installment of the Sleepless Fridays at Basement flew in straight from Bella Italia with Francesco Farfa being the highlight of the night, while the opening/closing duties were assigned to local rising stars Ronin & Nesta from NRJ Mastermix. To my misfortune I was compelled to miss out on the opening since I was DJing at a gig of my own elsewhere, but I when I arrived to Basement I made an extra effort to collect as much feedback about the opening as I possibly could from all my friends who were there, and I can say with a clear conscience that not one review of the boys’ opening set was negative. In fact, it was even more than positive – the crowd adored what Ronin & Nesta played, which is nothing new when it comes to these guys, but always something great to report. Of course hearing all that positiveness from my friends made me feel bad for missing out what apparently was an excellent local act, but it was no big deal because I still had the closing set to look forward to!
Apparently, Francesco Farfa’s real name is Francesco Casiraghi (possibly related to the football attacker?), but his early fans nicknamed him “farfa” which is Italian for “butterfly”, because he “flies” from one genre to another and doesn’t really possess a predetermined musical identity. Therefore, the crazy crowd at Basement was in for a multicolor set, where Farfa was blending techy sounds with dreamy melodies with proggy beats with acidy synths with minimalistic grooves with electroish buzzes… A rainbow of different sounds, integrating cross-genre influences in a manner I have not yet witnessed in my clubbing history. Farfa’s technical skills were something worth mentioning as well, as the Italian is a ruthless monster behind the decks, raping the effects pad on almost every track, messing around with a lot of loops to make dull tracks sound juicier, and sometimes even mixing up to 4 tracks simultaneously on both Vinyl and CD. To me it was not just a musical experience but also a visual performance, and one of the very few gigs where I walked out actually learning something from the DJ. Bravo Francesco!
Ronin & Nesta reclaimed their position behind the wheel for the closing set. Though not as long as we wanted the set to be (because it’s hard to get enough of their sound!), Ronin & Nesta showed the crowd that they are equally skilled in both opening and closing for a DJ, not just being the main DJs themselves. Hammering us with utter darkness on top of progressive bliss, they built up to peak with the eternal classic Sasha – Xpander, taking the lucky few who were still attending on a trip down memory lane. Another impressive performance by the kids who have become the talk of town… I can imagine how big this summer is going to be for them!
Next week is the last Sleepless Friday of the series, with Chloe Harris gracing us with her presence and essence. For those of you who were unwise to miss out on the first 4, this is your last chance to experience the Sleepless experience!
Sleepless Friday #5: Chloe Harris
The closing night of the Sleepless Fridays marathon had to be something special, and it was. After four successful Fridays at the Basement, Bacardi BLive and NRJ Lebanon sealed the deal with a feminine touch, bringing Digweed’s tour partner Chloe Harris to kiss us goodbye.
Basement was a full house, just as the previous Sleepless Fridays were. Another female DJ, Tia, was assigned opening and closing chores, making it a full-on girls’ night. Warming up with some minimal grooves, Tia slowly built up momentum in her set in proportion to the increasing crowd size and their evolving interactions. Boosting the energy level up a notch towards the end, Tia set the right pace for Chloe to take over in ease.
Chloe began by pulling the energy bar down a tad at first, then sailed in experimenting different sounds on the crowd to see what appeals most to us. After half an hour or so, Chloe realized that Lebanese can take aggressive beats just as well as they take trippy melodies, and her set officially begun. Alternating from energetic darkness to spacey atmospheres, Chloe played a wide array of mainly (but not exclusively) Progressive House. It was apparent that Chloe’s taste is not limited in scope or bound to genres and subgenres, as the sounds she emitted were diverse, and at times even opposing, but never in a non-coherent fashion. Chloe played a well-built set for a club, and the crowd loved every bit of it. I hope to see Chloe back in Lebanon, perhaps in a big room event next time, as she is clearly able to tailor her sound to fit a larger audience in a larger hall. But for not we settled for an intimate set at Basement, and certainly left satisfied!
It was a grandiose finale for the Sleepless Fridays experience indeed. After M.A.N.D.Y., Michel De Hey, Jimmy Van M, Francesco Farfa, and Chloe Harris, the new Bacardi BLive / NRJ Lebanon alliance proved its worth on the local scene, importing lesser known names capable of delivering top notch music, while organizing their events flawlessly. Basement’s role is not to be neglected either: the sound, lights, service, and crowd lived up to the challenge and exceeded expectations, in terms of both quantity and quality. This is surely not the end of this new mega player on our local EDM scene, but rather the beginning, and if things are starting off that well, I can only wonder how good they will be in the months to come!
Thank you Bacardi, NRJ, and Basement for an unforgettable penta-experience that we all enjoyed while it lasted and will miss for years to come!
Thanks to Dio (http://www.trancehits.com/viewtopic.php?t=15635) |
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