Moodymann @ 99

[deevah]

how groovy was this party!!?!??!

DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-Troit was IN DA HOUSE!

For most part of the nite, he had white screens surrounding him and the booth so that the only thing you could see was the silhouette of KDJ and his 'fro and pick. Deep sexy late-nite radio voice occassionally speaking in b/tw tracks. There was a little bit of motown, disco, house, garage, techno, funk, soul.

He started off the tempo real slow and didn't pick it up until about 1/2 way thru his set, smooth and mellow. I don't think most ppl in the audience "got it" and they were all just waiting for something to happen....this was a good experience to show that it doesn't always have to be 120+ bpms - why limit yourself?

the dynacord was still there but the volume was definitely turned down from thurs nite

great nite out - certainly redeemed the wkend. There's lots of great stuff coming down the pipe for our city, keep your eyes and ears open.

Thanks to milk and crew for pulling off a spectacular nite

 

[Taro]

so that's who was there...

I was hammed - showed up late...

talked with one of those guys for a while, but I didn't want to ask who they were as I thought it might appear rude. The screens were....annoying - don't know if it was a request by the act, but it directly breaks up the interaction with the crowd. Definite detroit in the house..

This was my first time at 99 and I have to say, I kinda liked it. The space is much bigger than I thought it would be. It is a little dark, but I didn't stick around long enough for it to bother me.

 

[deevah]

The screens were....annoying - don't know if it was a request by the act, but it directly breaks up the interaction with the crowd. Definite detroit in the house..

when you lose your sight, your other senses have to make up for it. Find alternate methods of communicating - instead of watching what he does, hear it. It takes the focus away from the DJ and redirect it to your fellow party-ers. Instead of just fist pumping, show your love for the tunes and the beats shouting and singing it...

it's a nice change up from the same old routine

 

[Taro]

definitely true and there is certainly something to be said about it.

however, being a dj, I fully appreciate direct interaction. I don't care about trainspotting, but I want to see someone smiling and interacting.

Like I said though, I really didn't stick around.
<and I just went behind the screens anyway>

 

[casual]

the sound in the venue stunk. That ruined the party for me.

 

[maphi]

This had to be one of the most boring events I have ever been too. Nobody I knew was feeling it at all. The screen was stupid. It must have been there so nobody noticed him napping when he should have been mixing... At least his name is correct because he put a lot of people in some serious moods. Maybe someone should have told this guy that he was at a party? The potential was there as I have never seen 99 so packed, but what a letdown it was.

 

[why not]

moodymann has done various shows over the years with screens hiding him.
i think it's some anti-star thing, as you rarely see any photos of him, and he doesn't generally do interviews.
any, much like when theo parrish was at 99, most of the crowd were unfamiliar with what he's about, and probably would have been much happier with a straight tech-house set.
for the people who were there to hear him, i think most of us were having a pretty good time. you could almost see a line through the room where dancing would stop and standing around and scowling would start.

anyway, i had a good time, and i think he actually went over with the crowd better than he did when he played at industry.

 

[maphi]

moodymann has done various shows over the years with screens hiding him.
i think it's some anti-star thing, as you rarely see any photos of him, and he doesn't generally do interviews.

Don't get me wrong, the whole night I was up front trying to dance. So were a lot of my friends. We just couldn't. The music wasn't terrible, it just wasn't danceable. The sound was really muddy, so all you could hear was a resonating bass, and a slow lame beat most of the time. Then he would fade a track down, say "yeah" and fade an old Michael Jackson song or something equally as lame up. There was no attempt at mixing or creating any kind of continuity or vibe whatsoever...

As far as the screen being an "anti-star" thing, it really is the opposite. It was uber-pretentious for someone to hide themselves and cut themselves off from a packed room while boring them all to sleep. I don't go to a party to watch what a DJ does, but when you hide yourself behind a screen you get people asking "who the hell does this guy think he is". If you're going to do this you had better deliver, which Badmood Man did not.

 

[rentboy]

Don't get me wrong, the whole night I was up front trying to dance. So were a lot of my friends. We just couldn't. The music wasn't terrible, it just wasn't danceable. The sound was really muddy, so all you could hear was a resonating bass, and a slow lame beat most of the time. Then he would fade a track down, say "yeah" and fade an old Michael Jackson song or something equally as lame up. There was no attempt at mixing or creating any kind of continuity or vibe whatsoever...

aye, i felt the same way.

The problem for me was the lack of order or flow (heh, i'm totally into experimenting). I realise that he barely mixed and always opted for the fade n talk. I can overlook that if he actually had some progression. But he didn't. It felt like I was in his basement and he was playing me a bunch of random tracks.

 

[why not]

different strokes for different folks i guess.

i remember most of the parties i've really loved i couldn't even really see the DJ - to me, something was lost when it started being expected that a DJ 'perform' like a rock star. i liked the whole wizard of oz behind a curtain thing.
i also liked the radio announcer thing, and the eclectic playlist.

were you very familiar with his work before the party?
i would hazard a guess that those who thought it sucked probably aren't fans of his.

 

[why not]

It felt like I was in his basement and he was playing me a bunch of random tracks.

see, i kind of liked that vibe.

as far as mixing goes, i noticed that he'd play mini sets of a certain kind of sound and mood, and then talk on the mic as a way of moving into a different mood and tempo. within those mini sets, some of his mixing was actually pretty decent.

 

[Taro]

for me it's definitely not about performing - or making a show or anything of the sort. (I dislike the hands in the air)

but there is something different when someone is purposely cut off from the crowd in every way - particularly for that space which places the dj in a very central position in the room.

 

[rentboy]

see, i kind of liked that vibe.

as far as mixing goes, i noticed that he'd play mini sets of a certain kind of sound and mood, and then talk on the mic as a way of moving into a different mood and tempo. within those mini sets, some of his mixing was actually pretty decent.

i like it too...but wasn't digging alot of his selections.

 

[Tristan]

I had a great time - KDJ did not disappoint but I knew what to expect going in. Lots of smiling faces...

For me though, I LOVED the fact that Felix and Gani came on afterwards and picked it up for the remaining crowd. They were dropping the HEAT...



Congratulations milk. You guys are definitely still fresh.

T

 

[dig this]

The screen effect wasn't all that bad... I completely agree Deevah that as an audience we should participate more with each other rather than pretending that we're at a rock concert and always face the stage.

As for the music though, I thought it was boring as hell. I have some of his records and I gotta say they're some of the best records I own, but for a live set I was very dissapointed. Would have been a nice set if I were at a restaurant or something, but not to boogie to.

 

[sam]

I wasn't there but I have heard his sets live before and like Theo, if you are expecting a typical dance-floor oriented 4/4 house or techno set, then of course you will be disappointed.

I'm sad that I missed the party due to being stuck in the east end for the night....but I know I would have enjoyed it. It is def. a rare treat to have KDJ in town....

 

[vinder]

fun party, fun music. just not very danceable.

i liked how 99 felt even dirtier than before, and that side room serving booze made it that much more dirty. too awesome.

 

[grit]

i got down hard to the music. deep ass detroit house mixed up with underground disco.
good party. respect to milk for bringin in a true house music legend.

 

[Fin Finnegan]

Left my own party to check this out....

Congratulations on a great turnout. Yay to Milk.

Lotsa peeps...Good vibe...But...where's the effort?

I'm not a party snob, but I couldn't see an inch in front of me. What's a party without faces. Although I did love the music. I had a dissagreement with my business partner about this issue. He liked the dirty, dark underground feel. I just knew that there were tons of hot girls I couldn't see.

I'm still coming to the next Milk event, because felix and gani are legends and have great events, just next time, maybe a bit more light.

Great staff. Great Music. Good vibe. Congrats.

 

[Jonesy]

Left my own party to check this out....

Congratulations on a great turnout. Yay to Milk.

Lotsa peeps...Good vibe...But...where's the effort?

I'm not a party snob, but I couldn't see an inch in front of me. What's a party without faces. Although I did love the music. I had a dissagreement with my business partner about this issue. He liked the dirty, dark underground feel. I just knew that there were tons of hot girls I couldn't see.

I'm still coming to the next Milk event, because felix and gani are legends and have great events, just next time, maybe a bit more light.

Great staff. Great Music. Good vibe. Congrats.

we were there early.
wish i saw you.

dirka dirka

 

[Stan]

Sorry, I guess you can count me in as one of the people who didn't "get" it. I mean, the tunes were alright for chilling in your living room, but not for dancing at a party. Also, there was no mixing and no continuity. Fuck, I'd expect that shit from a Goa DJ, but not for house.

 

[Daniel XIV]

I went for Moodymann, and loved it. I thought the screen was great for the reasons already mentioned -- but I think it would be even better, in a way, if there was wasn't even a silhouette or anything at the front, if there was no "front" at all -- just 360 degree freeform dancefloor! Everyone facing the front is lame.

One thing that's been bugging me: I wasn't sure, but I thought this was going to be a live performance -- as in, he brings some synths and maybe a diva. Right on the flyer I have here, it says "moodymann live" in the paragraph. I would've forked over that $15 advance just as quickly if it said "moodymann DJing" ... it's just that it didn't.

And another thing: does anyone else get annoyed by people's BATSIGNAL-STRENGTH cellphones floodlighting their personal space? It's like a thousand little buzz-killing ugly lights coming on, spread throughout the night.

They're impossible to ignore. It's like: if there's a loud guy in a quiet restaurant, it's impossible to ignore him. When a light suddenly comes on in a dark room, the human mind must look at it for a second. It can't be helped. Therefore it is annoying, and people should cut it out. It's just bad dance party manners!

 

[gani]

hi, just a quick thanks to the people that came out to support us on saturday night. we sincerely appreciate it & hope to be here for another 10 years with your help.

moodymann & his brother really enjoyed themselves & were genuinely happy with the welcome they received. we hired kdj to be himself which is something that any promoter worth his salt would do. it's hard to please everyone so really... we just try to please ourselves & hope that people out there are willing to trust us & come along for the ride.

seems that the screen was a touchy subject for some but i distinctly remember people cheering when i put the screen down & i also remember cheering when i lifted it up near the end of kenny's set. in the end what matters is we pushed the envelope a bit on saturday & gave it our best. whether we succeeded or failed is up to you to decide i suppose, but we tried to do something different instead of giving you the same old thing.

thanks again and we hope you'll lend your ear & dancing feet to milk. again soon.

g.

--
web: www.milkaudio.com
fun: www.myspace.com/ganimilk

 

[ian]

I thought this was a great party (holy numbers!) and that Moodyman really delivered.

Anyone surprised by the screen sure don't know his rep That said, I met him personally before the show and he was the nicest guy! He was laughing and joking, didn't flinch a bit when he saw a pasty white dude opening for him, and he was all positivity and wanting to party. He drove up in the one of the oddest cars I've ever seen (some sort of futuristic black modified Ford Station Wagon that kind of looked like it should be flying). His brother was also a cool dude.

Also about his DJing. . . I lked his interludes, and I was paying attention and he was mixing quite well within his mini-sets. The crowd was also eating everything he did up, cheering at every chance, so I will tell you that anyone not liking his set was by FAR in the minority (nothing wrong with that as people are entitled to their own opinion).

The crowd was one of the best crowds I've seen at Sudbury. Not sketchy, just up for it.

Good show Milk! Congrats!

 

[HaliBubba]

Awesome awesome party. Moodymann delivered exactly what I expected of him. A headfuck journey of deep, funk-infused disco and dubby house beats. Hell, I even heard a Nitzer Ebb dub that night, so he was definately taking us for a journey.

The screen is something he's been doing for a long time now and I think it's great to break things up. They do the same when touring as the Three Chairs also. Actually, a little side note, when I was doing 'A Night Without A Name', we even borrowed the idea of covering the DJ Booth.

Anyway, it's hard to imagine that it's been 10 years since Milk starting things up at that small divey basement at 56 Kensington. Congrats Milk. Look how far you've gone! Looking forward to the next 10.

Hali