We had a great time last Friday. Even if it was very cold and dark outside we decided to go out. Before going to the Loft in Lausanne, we began to go to a fabulous concert of THE Soul and Techno's Godfather : JAMES BROWN !! This little and old man (he is 73 !) played with 22 musicians for 1h30 ! It was so great to see the real man who influenced all the music we hear today ! A great moment !! It was incredible : he still dances and sings like nobody else... !!! CRAZY !! How he can do that ?? "Keep doin' the right thing my dear, you're the best !!" So much RESPECT.
After this concert, we were really motivated to go to the Loft and see the best of the actual German electronic scene : Richard Bartz from Munich that produces on Disko B and on his own label Kurbel, Steve Bug (Poker Flat, Berlin) and the she-dj Ellen Allien that produces on the great label Bpitch Control / Berlin.
There was not a lot of people inside the club when Steve Bug started to play at 0.30. As the last time in Geneva at the Weetamix (cf. pics) he played a very good funky techno and minimal house in a Kompakt, Perlon or Playhouse style. He played until 2.30 smiling and jumping behind the decks : fun !!
Then the sexy Richard Bartz played one hour for our pleasure ! We were very impressed by his performance once again. It was better than the first time we saw him (at the Big Warp last year) !! It sounded really really good, just like his records (we are fans for some years !). He was really concentrating on his strange machines and very efficient. It was as dynamic as a dj set : amazing !!! This 24 years old guy is a real killer. So much RESPECT too.
At the end, the charming Ellen Allien played harder, in a Berlin techno style with electro sounds too. (The German people know from a long time that the eighties are back and still alive !!). It was a very good mix, original, clear and efficient.
Too bad that the audience couldn't appreciate it... At 5.00, most of the clubbers were in a serious bad state... Shouting, sweating people couldn't stand up anymore and knocked down glasses and ashtrays... a pitiful vision for this morning ! They didn't know what they had missed !!
We did be very satisfied by this Loft night and we drove back peacefully to our home huming "Cold Sweat" and "Sex Machine" in the car !!! Can't wait for the next one...
www.loftclub.ch     www.kurbel.com     www.bpitchcontrol.com     www.pokerflat-recordings.com     www.funky-stuff.com/jamesbrown
Ingrid, 07/11/2000