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*note: hope I maker sense here...dead tired posting this!
I thought Jame's set was great. He's DEF progressing as an opener.
Think he still played a taadaddd (itsy bitsy) too hard (not necessarily BPM, just a bit heavy) at one point, but as I said to Bjorn...there was still plenty of time to bring it down...and he did...BUUUUUTT..
...that leads into my other slight (SLIGHT!) issue...I thought there were too many hard rolling basslines.
An odd complaint? yeah, prob.
Reason I say this is going based on the past when seeing them live, Blank & Jones EQing usually leaves the highs and mi-high cranked up it seems and not super heavy on the bass-side. I actually never really liked this about them...in the 90s early 2000s that was the way to go for all trance DJs because you wanted those synths to be belted out, but knowing how some tracks they play normally sound and how it sounds a tad diff when they play it (bass is lower, highs are higher), I was scared James having a TON of hard hitting rolling basslines might have brought noticeable contrast in the EQing between him and B&J. For the last few times I've seen them I was thinking it was maybe the mixer they bring to use causing it or something, but Friday night their EQs were by far more solid than I've ever heard from them before. So in the end, Jame's heavy basslines (IMO) didn't come across as overboard...just hanging on the edge  . If B&J would have done the EQs like my ears have heard from them in the past, I think the difference would have really stood out. Luckily for all parties, we'll never know!
This all said, I think I've missed one (maybe two) B&J show in SF out of all the times they've played here, and this was w/o a doubt their best set musically I've heard from them....throw Wunderful out the window though, PLEASE?!?!?!
I thought it was just a real solid set, no real down time in it and never got dull. Also, felt it was a bit more epic and not as much on the electro-synthy side that I heard from them last time, which I actually think they are weaker at playing...so I was happy to see less of the electro-sound. Was very pleased and no doubt I want to see them when they return based purely on the music. It's usually an "if I have nothing else to do" situation because I always liked the party atmosphere they bring and other than the first couple of times haven't gone to them based purely on the quality of their sets...but three out of the last four times I've seen them I've really enjoyed it...and think they are really coming into their own...seems like for the longest time, after the whole 199*-2002+ era where synths started getting a bit old to peeps and things shifted towards basslines and melody, they were stuck and could never find a comfort zone causing their sets to be all over the place...they are starting to get their touch back.
Last edited by DaveT on Aug-03-2008 at 15:01
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