My Friday night was spent with good friends, enjoying amazing music.
There was a heavy whiff of nostalgia about this gig for me. Jeff Mills is currently on a 30th anniversary tour of his mix album Live at the Liquid Room. I bought that album on cassette tape back then and was blown away by it. I subsequently saw him DJ in 1996. Since then I’ve experienced Jeff do his thing many times and in various places around the world. His sets are the stuff of legend!
We started our night at Chinaskis which provided a good spot for our ten-strong party to meet, eat and get excited about the night ahead. And we really were excited. Jason, for example, had been attending the gym religiously for months in order to be able dance all night! There was also a hint of deja vu as many of us were also on my stag do at Dekmantel in 2016 where, again, Jeff was performing.
We arrived at SWG3 early in order to see a documentary film about the Live at the Liquid Room recording. In it, Jeff described how he played a lot of brand new music including some on reel-to-reel and copper discs; how he used certain tones and frequencies to elicit big crowd reactions; and how the set paved the way for how a generation of producers and DJs would conceive, produce and program techno in the future.
The end of the film gave way to the silhouette of the man himself behind a curtain (he likes a bit of drama). Excitingly, Jeff was back to playing vinyl for this gig just like in 1995. So – more crackles, more oomph, more risk and – yes – more mistakes. Exactly the kind of edge-of-the-seat energy that was key to his 90s signature style that I loved.
In his first set Jeff flew through lots of the tracks he played on the 1995 mix album: plenty of Axis and Purpose Maker favourites; the brilliant Luke Slater remix of Ken Ishii’s Extra; Surgeon’s Magneze. I also loved hearing other nineties belters like Fuse’s Substance Abuse and Circuit Breaker’s Overkill.
We had a great position up near the front, and it was a treat to once again enjoy signature Jeff moves like leaving two records live in the mix while turning around to rifle through his record box. Iconic stuff that brings a smile to your face.
Jeff played for what felt like a couple of hours and at this point the night had delivered exactly what it said on the tin and most folks would have gone home happy. However this was the night that kept giving.
Next, local DJ and good guy Mark Maxwell (aka Mother) took to the decks, giving Jeff a one-hour break. I can’t think of a much harder act to follow but Mark managed it. In delivering a serious set of heads-down techno he held the crowd and the mood brilliantly. No lazy selections, either. I can’t say I knew much of what I heard but at least one track sounded a bit like the Ancient Methods label. Bravo, Mark.
When Jeff returned to the decks he shifted to a different sound from his previous set: more stripped back and hypnotic, building layers upon layers of sound. It was less his nineties vibe and more the one he’d settled into in the 2000s. When he gets this right it’s just different gravy. The combination of rhythms and tones and the way it’s mixed burrows deep into your head and under your skin. This section was sublime.
At one point when Jeff had taken the music to its most intense, it was accompanied by piercing green light and smoke surrounding the DJ booth – a really memorable audiovisual experience. To top it off, with the crowd practically on its knees Jeff pulls a handbreak turn into a huge piano vocal track and sends the place into orbit. (I didn’t recognise the track but its very much in the vein of vintage Detroit house from Yolanda or Bridgett Grace). From there he heads into soulful UR classics like Timeline and even Hi-tech Jazz. I really appreciate when a DJ takes you from deep into one mood to another completely – “angels and devils” as Derrick Carter once said – and Jeff is a master at that.
Another vintage set from Jeff Mills, and a brilliant night with great friends. This one will live long in the memory.
PS: I’ve added below a few videos from the night which I’ve found around the internet. I don’t own any so I guess the links might only last for a while.