From: Jon Freer (jon-freer_at_excite.com)
Date: 2004-03-03 15:30:40
Larry Heard & Brett Dancer at The Electric Chair, Music Box, Manchester. Saturday 28th February 2004.
Understandably a sell out, this event saw pioneer Larry Heard and his agent/DJing partner Brett Dancer pitted against Mancunian clubbing legends, The Unabombers. These two Disco revolutionaries have probably touched more of the city’s clubbing populace in a practical sense, than the Chicagoan hero. Larry’s influence on the development of music cannot be understated, but he rarely makes an appearance in this city and the Unabombers detonations attract a broader section of the public than just House music aficionados. The legacy of Heard’s ground-breaking compositions lives on through the minds, recordings and DJ sets of those producers and record selectors who’ve understood his teachings on how emotion and soul should be celebrated alongside a 4/4 beat and not ignored.
On this night, as per usual, the dancefloor of the Music Box seemed to stretch out in an infinite manner. Despite the tremendous heat, diabolically long cloakroom queues and enforced physical friendliness on the dancefloor, visiting the Electric Chair is incredibly comforting experience. Like every other truly special event, it exudes a feeling of timelessness. This is in the sense that you can feel at home whether it’s your first or fifty first visit. It stems from a wonderfully all embracing attitude, which sets the Chair apart from Manchester’s trend-driven and fashion conscious nights.
Luke and Justin Unabomber got the venue rocking with a bombardment of Chair favourites and soul shaking explosions. Classic cuts included the Detroit Experiment’s brass-tastic “Think Twice”, Atmosfear’s dazzling “Dancing In Outer Space” and Jon Cutler’s re-rub of Prophets of Sound’s forward-looking “New Dawn”. Brett Dancer then took to the controls and delivered a floor moving set that bridged the gap between the techier and instrumental laced jazzed-out end of House. This was well received by the crowd, but by this point, the anticipation of a set by Mr. Heard had reached fever pitch. After all, despite being an accomplished spinner, Brett is merely an understudy to the legend. Disappointingly, Larry was left with only an hour and a half or so to blend the most soulful of flavours alongside historic darker material. Probably influenced by Manchester’s reputation as a place synonymous with Acid House alongside the fact he was playing last, his set visited tough acidic !
laced cuts as well as super-deep outings. The at times uneven mixing and rapid switching between styles was not too much of a problem, because he did play some wonderful tracks. Highlights included Robert Owens’s affectionate “I’ll Be Your Friend”, the MAW remix of Sarah Devine’s questioning “Take Me Home” and Fudge’s good-spirited “If I Had A Band”.
He finished with his swansong, the Martin Luther King laced version of the everlasting “Can U Feel It”. Still as heart-stopping as the day it was first committed to vinyl, the dropping of this record sent shivers down the spine of all those present and led to live-performance type rounds of applause. The frustration of the briefness of his set was satisfied in part, by this expected yet still awe-inspiring climax.
*To be published in Keep On Magazine #3
Jon Freer(jon.freer_at_wrongsteps.com)
reviewer and writer for the following
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FACT Magazine,littleplanet.net, City Life Magazine,
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deephousenetwork.com, offitsface.com, Sandman mag,
breakevencrew.com, overloadmedia.co.uk, funk-me.com,
Vanguard online, quadrastate.co.uk, spaced.co.uk,
beats.to, housecollective.org, capitolvibes.com,
www.selekta.com, djriri.com, universalsource.co.uk,
Inner Loop Magazine, housemuziq.com, undergroundhouse.net, worlddj.com,
mosoul.co.uk, discotribe.net, flygarictracks.com,
skansen.no, nwdnb.co.uk
planetsoulnetwork.com
allaboutdj.com
mundovibes.com...
Writer for:
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