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ePaper created 2014-04-01, 00:50:16 | version 1.29.01
. 14 There are not enough words in the integrity of the British vocabulary to help me describe what occurred at Birmingham’s Sunday party, Cloak/n/Dagger. I will have an attempt at describing the context and uniqueness of what should and will be recognised in the near future as a new benchmark being set in the back roads of our beloved Digbeth. As always, Cloak/n/Dagger residents treated us to a delectable selection of sets. We already know what these boys can do on the decks and in my humble opinion there is no better way to start Sunday than with 3 hours of funk-heavy grooves delivered with marksman like precision from CnD resident and amazing friend Philiss. The perfect aperitif to what would soon become the best techno Sunday lunch I have ever been lucky enough to witness. For starter we enjoyed Lewis Oxley’s diesel powered house chugging amongst his more unique & singular techno selections that never fail to captivate the CnD faithful. With the tempo creeping up, the sun pitched down, in no time the heads of the crowd follow suit. Lowris, from Concrete (one of best Sunday parties in Europe) as well as being the mastermind behind the brilliant Aeternum Music, his Parisian imprint, steps up for mains serving up an exquisite platter of deep & articulate House & Techno that elevated the vibe to the next level & took us into a new dimension of music that was yet to be seen by the crowd at Cloak/n/Dagger. Extremely clever and intricate, his music brought the vibe to the next level and got us carried away for a blissful journey throughout a selection of records that would get the likes of Raresh and Villalobos incredibly jealous (and not just them, trust me). To finish things in beauty, my favourite dessert, a beautifully executed reduction of driving techno kindly prepared for us by local genius Samu.l. By then the crowd was literally captured in a web of heavy bass and complex synths. An overall outstanding performance by everyone, the crowd, the djs, the bar staff, the hosts. But nobody realised the best course was yet to be served, exclusively for us, a group of 50 to 100 likeminded souls. The chefs (as in mixing together ingredients, not as in being bossy) of this perfectly orchestrated banquet, our good friends at Cloak/n/ Dagger, “cooked up” what for me can only be described as a unique rather than rare after party. And I say this as someone who organises his own afterparty and I must admit that I am slightly jealous. Rossko, resident of legendary parties FUSE and Cerca Trova down in London, who happened to be in town for another sick local night (TRMNL) decides that we had not enjoyed enough outstanding music and thought that he would go b2b with Lowris. All for the love of music, not for money. After carefully searching through my vocabulary and Google’s one I decided that there is only one word suitable to describe this synergetic combination of talent and tunes (and it still does not even get close). This word is wow. It’s not even a real word but I guess after their unreal set, regular words in the official vocabulary would not fit the bill. Intelligent music for hungry eardrums. Was it by chance that all the ingredients to this absolute feast of the senses would randomly happen to spring together like some sort of precise Suisse swatch mechanism? I’ll tell you that right away, none. This was no chance, this is the outcome of years of dedication. Both from the artists, who even if unprepared and unaware that they were playing together were able to melt their styles into something unique and jaw dropping; but also from the promoters of the event, who take all the risks and share their insights and findings to consistently offer the most unique, underground experience this beautiful flowering scene has to offer. The weekend has set a new benchmark, and although it will be hard to top it up I am quite sure that with all the fermentation happening in Birmingham’s Digbeth as of late, at some point somebody will manage. Will it be the Rainbow, with the multitude of events running there (FACE, KUDERTA, Seedy Sonic, 02:31 and House of God to name a few) and the beautiful spaces available to them; TRMNL, with their naughty outdoor patio/ warehouse and intense sound system; or maybe Spotlight and the newly born Next*Door, with their quality productions and interest for eclectic music and mouth-watering food. Who cares really, as long as united we rise and take over! Massive thank you goes to Paolo Riozzi for the editing and to Chloe Dowding for the grammar lessons! You are both real stars, helped me straight away and didn’t have to ask twice for their professionalism, big up! a techno sunday lunch words by: Gabriel Nenni