Ok, here's my take of the night.
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I was really looking forward to hearing Steve Porter spin live after hearing his two hour radio exclusive on Radio 1 with Pete Tong. I had been cranking that set all week long and loved the never ending high-energy beats weaving layer upon layer of sound. The music had me so pumped every time I threw the set on I couldn’t help but have a smile spread across my face, ear to ear. That’s what House music is supposed to do!
I spent an exhausting Friday and Saturday (exhausting but amazing) attending the Tony Robbins Firewalker series. Each day involved sessions longer than 10 hours with some serious high energy and high emotion exercises. By 10pm Saturday night I was exhausted, but no less ready to dance it up to Steve Porter.
My friends and I arrived at the beginning of the night in order to catch Aleksandra’s set. This was my first time hearing her live. I had downloaded her promo Dance 2 da Beat 3 mix she released to her Facebook group the week before and had enjoyed it. Let me tell you her set at Footwork that night rocked me (she recorded it—you can download it from her Facebook group or website). She built up the music really nicely. Dark and sexy to begin with, then chuggy thumping beats coming in that were an awesome opener for the positive high energy onslaught that Porter was destined to unleash. Her mixing was great and her shy but positive presence behind the decks almost seemed to contradict the pounding beats coming out of Footwork’s sound system.
Footwork’s ambiance, draped in muted dark red lighting complimented the mood. The lighting system consisted of four lights, pointing straight down; forming what Schmucky calls spheres of dancing light on the floor. Similar to a Pokémon ball, but completely different. Schmucky got trapped in them once, and I had to rescue him—but that’s another epic tale best told elsewhere.
After Aleksandra, Evan G hit the decks. He brought the energy up appropriately and the room was really starting to move and fill in. I sat at the back of the dancefloor on this long bench (for lack of a better term) that had a really tall back. For the tall people, I’m guessing. They’re people too, you know. The bass was thumping nicely through the bench and I had a great view of the dancefloor. The lights started moving around now, releasing those trapped in the dancing spheres of hell that had been circularly oscillating for the first hour or so in one spot.
Finally, Steve Porter took the decks, and I could hear the excitement building up in the crowd—he’s here! He’s going to rock us!
And then…. He sucked.
Oh yes, he sucked.
Have you ever hear me say a DJ sucks before? Ok, maybe once, when DJ Ping opened up The New Basement.
Now let me back up my claim. I have absolutely no doubt that Steve Porter is an amazing DJ—I’ve heard his sets! His mixing, his style of music, the energy, the positivity—it’s all completely up my alley! So why would I say he sucked?
It all comes down to mixing. Mistake after mistake that kept hic-cupping my vibe. There was very little flow to the track selection—he would build up the energy in a track, get the crowd hyped, and then slow it right down and pull the bass line out unexpectedly—and not in a very cool way.
I had come with a group of friends, so I quickly polled them to see if I was hearing things or being far too critical. Unfortunately, I was not far off the mark—they all agreed.
To his credit, Porter did drop a few gems I had not heard in the club before. A personal favourite of mine: DJ Misjah & DJ Tim – Untitled (Original Mix). LOVE THIS TUNE! The only problem was, he mashed that one up too and took away any punch it had.
His torturous mixing and mistreatment as well as a distinct lack of flow took its toll on the club. By 3am only a third of the club remained and only a precious few where high energy at the front to his beats.
I could handle it no longer I said my goodbyes to my friends and took my leave of the musical maelstrom.
Every DJ has off days. In my opinion, this was one of those days for Steve Porter. The music I heard at Footwork that night with all of its lack of flow, mistakes and sheer lack of passion and vision bore no resemblance to the sets I had listened to nor the testimony of those who had heard Porter before.
I hope Porter spins again in Toronto soon so I can erase this horrid set from my mind and replace it with something truly representative of the man’s talent.
© Scenester Magazine Inc. 2007
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Source: http://www.scenestermag.com/review_sport-fw.html
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