It's 6pm on Sunday May 12th and boy is it warm in downtown Vancouver, B.C. I've arrived outside 'The Rage' club hoping that I'll be able to get into one of the most anticipated shows of the year. As I approach the front door I immediately notice the band of 'hopefuls' basking in the summer air and praying that they too manage to see two of the most globally respected DJ's. "What time do the doors open?" I ask. "In 2hr's, grab a seat and tuck into some of this food" comes the reply. And there it is - a group of total strangers waiting patiently all with the same motivation: Sasha & Digweed.
8pm arrives, the doors open and 18 lucky people (of which I am number 10) are allowed inside. Upon entry into the club the first thing I notice is the dark and somewhat mysterious aura that surrounds the DJ booth - encapsulated in the tribal artwork that surrounds the decks and beams out of the two huge overhead screens.
Three of my mates arrive unexpectedly just as Jimmy Van M starts his warm-up set that comprises of down-tempo tribal beats. This is going to be a wicked night - we can all feel it in the air!
By 9.30pm the club is rammed to capacity, the dancefloor already bulging at the sides with large groups of clubbers waiting for things to move up another gear. Suddenly a familiar face appears in a white shirt from behind the decks and the clubbing faithful of Vancouver welcome Sasha with open arms and deafening cheers. The energy that the crowd unleashes with the introduction of Sasha is unreal and transcends right around the whole club.
As I expected, tonight's show is going to be a tale of two parts. The first ('the foundation') comprises of solid basey beats which are skillfully layered by Sasha for almost 45mins - at which point a massive roar lifts up the dancefloor as the other half of the line-up emerges from the shadowy backstage to the chants of "Digweed, Digweed, Digweed ............... ". John Digweed keeps the vibe running smoothly highlighting both the musical and technical relationship that exists between the two men. For about 30mins an almost identical bassline pumps out of the sound system, and every once in a while euphoric melodies are laced into these - which the whole crowd reacts to immediately and in a big way.
The 'foundation' of beats has been laid and now the return of Sasha to the decks symbolizes a change in tempo within the progressive set that is being unfolded in front of us all. Suddenly trouble strikes as an increasingly annoying crackling is heard and felt by everyone. The cause seems to be a damaged speaker and after trying to ride it out the noise become too unbearable. The music dies and for 5mins an engineer struggles frantically with numerous wires whilst the crowd entertain themselves with cheers, chanting and clapping. Everyone is making the best of the situation and anyway it gives us all time to catch our breath.
In no time at all normal service is resumed and to be honest it sounds a lot better than it did before - bare with me, the quality of the sound on the dancefloor is the only complaint I have of the entire evening!
O.K so now the party is really going. The dance floor is rocking and it's clear that both the masterminds behind this are having just as good a time up on stage. Sasha & Digweed rotate turns at the decks in relatively short shifts, each time carrying on where the other left off - demonstrating at times almost uncanny telepathy. Digweed returns, headphones in hand with the next record. A broad smile radiates across Sasha's face as the first glimpses can be heard in the mix - the deranged generation of clubbers are ready for it to be unleashed and Sasha is leading the way in his new master of ceremonies role! BOOM! ... Lift Off. Suddenly synthesized guitar floods the dancefloor. Each and every one of us are stunned with the sheer beauty of what we're hearing.
11.30pm strikes and the whole party is jumping. Momentarily I kid myself that I grasp a familiar beat in the mix. A minute later I feel proud when the mix develops and Underworld's 'Dark and Long' pounds out to a sea of raised hands that reach for the green lasers. What a tune!!!!
The night ends after the 'do ya want one more' tune plus an extra two encores. As if this wasn't enough, after the lights flicker on Digweed comes to the front stage autographing tickets, posing for photos and chatting with the manageable group amassed around him. Through chatting with the man we find out that the sublime guitar track is in fact the new one from Junkie XL of Holland. So we'll be trying to track that one down for our collections over the next few months! As we leave through the other side of the stage Sasha is doing the same mingling with the crowd, which is great to see - it means a lot to this crowd, most of whom have waited 2 years to see the dynamic duo.
Everyone in our group leaves with tickets signed by both of the guys responsible for lifting the roof of this little bit of downtown Vancouver. The walk home is almost completely undertaken in silence, each of us simply reflecting on the immensity of what we have just witnessed. Should we go to the after party???? Nah ............ lets quit while we're ahead!
Check out
http://www.deltaheavy.com for more info on the whole tour.
