Last weekend I ventured off to London to catch Evian Christ tear up Corsica Studios for his introductory 'Trance Party'. It was sweaty, fun and there were new faces and old- my review is now live over here on Crack, or you can read the unedited version below...
Evian Christ's 'Trance Party' @ Corsica Studios
London, you never fail to stump me with the unexpected. As a
Northern soul in the Big Smoke, I am often pooled in with the relentless incursion
of tourists when asking for tube directions, not to mention encompassing a Scouse
born-and-bread twang that makes any Cockney I come into contact with recoil in
uncommunicative horror, just like I do when it comes to forking out a fiver a
pint. Still, there is always a dusting of hidden beacons that summon us in
exactly why we put up with the ridiculous congestion and annoyingly quaint wine
bars on every corner, from time to time- and South East’s Corsica Studios is
one of these glimmers of hope. Hot from lacing Mr. West’s ‘Yeezus’ with his ingenious
expertise, Ellesmere-Port-boy-done-good Evian Christ enrolled in the likes of
Jam City, Wanda Group and Arca to throw the first in his duo of ‘Trance
Parties’, promising to detract away from the genre and coiling it all back to
what ‘trance’ actually means.
After several hiccups involving group members falling off the
wagon and step-in heroes missioning from the eternity-away zone four, no unforeseen
obstacles could cast a cloud once inside the remarkably well-equipped venue. With a roaring sound system that makes your
bones shake as if you’re rolling down a hill implanted within the acoustics,
the night’s curator bounced from his earlier status-cementing, hip-hop modified
electronica, over to the snarling expletives of ‘I’m In It’ and teases of what
we’re to expect for 2014. As hot-off-the-press ‘Salt Carousel’ was released
into the web sphere only a day prior, it’s mind-boggling to contemplate the
heights he actually has the ability to rocket to. The brutal bass, hyper-speed
recitals and unforgiving rave synth slashes that echo as melodically accessible
and ballsy, are not only insightful of where Christ is heading but also of the leap
he’s made from indie-label bedroom experimentalist to, deservedly,
globally-appreciated producer.
As the night plummeted further into the wee hours, developments
from alternative guests only crept to more bizarre and delightful ranks. Take
Brooklyn’s Alejandro Ghersi, or Arca as his haunting but crazily danceable
mononym plays out, of as we enter through various curtains and almost sacrifice
shoes to catch a glimpse of, thrives off the dance-floor frenzy he’s fashioned,
spinning and gyrating behind the decks just as the hundreds of youngsters surveilling
are. Then steps-up Night Slugs eccentric Jam City, following the fabulous
care-free ethos that a guilty pleasure shouldn’t be guilty. Streamlining
antagonistically throbbing techno with tropical edits of Drake’s ‘Started From
The Bottom’ and Ne-Yo’s ‘Sexy Love’, the too-cool-for-school-boys find
themselves slinking for the nearest lady that catches their eye and the
gaggling drunk girls can’t help but swoon like it’s 2006 all over again. Oh,
and any artist that manages to admirably insert ‘How Soon Is Now’ into what is
dubbed a trance event causing admirable uproar, is an honourable revelation in
our book.
Words by Yours Truly X
Words by Yours Truly X
