27 April 2008 (gig)
29 April 2008
Set in the epic surroundings of the Millenium Dome the Indigo2 venue is as you would expect an ultra sleek, modern but ultimately soulless place to watch bands. The cavernous interior, whilst nice looking conveys a general sense of the faceless characterless buildings that are springing up all over the country. Ok so it’s the music that we are really here for but venues like the Roundhouse and Astoria, with their slightly knackered interiors and unmistakable smell of urine give off an aura that a place like Indigo2 cannot hope to match even if it stands for decades. That’s enough of the venue, what of the music?
Kompakt Records have been responsible for putting out some of the best minimal techno you can find and judging by the sonic landscapes on display tonight they really do know their stuff.
The crowd was tiny, probably due to the Jubilee line deciding to pack in earlier that day which was a shame as we took the clipper from The Embankment and if there is a better more epic way to travel through London please let me know!
Jonas Bering kicked things off with a cracking set of trance and techno. It was a great little set and I look forward to checking out more of his material.
Thomas Fehlmann was next and boy did he kick it up a notch, he looked like he was having more fun than the audience as he bopped around manically and his music really turned the crowd on as they got into the spirit of things and moved with the thumping rhythms.
It was hard to imagine anyone coming up with something as brilliant as Thomas Fehlmann’s set but as it was we hadn’t seen nothing yet! Mouse on Mars ripped the IndigO2 apart, bombarding the audience with techno, acid, dubstep, drill n bass, rave and a smattering of big beat. It was a frantic audio and visual experience and even consdering the considerable company of this bill they and owned IndigO2.
In contrast to the lunacy of the Mouse on Mars set, Jorg Burger and Wolfgang Voigt were a more controlled exhibition of the kind of music that has made Kompakt the legendary label it is today. They threw out some incredible sounds and a surprise cover of Roxy Musics 'More than This' tipped the the night into the domain pure bliss.
So it was left to Gui Boratto to close. The music was manic and the crowd fired up for the finale. Gui pulled off an incredible set, everything sounding so pure, clean and absolutely massive through the cheeky speaker system.
The minimal techno that was on offer tonight was in the very least mind blowing and at its best majestically off the hook. The IndigO2 itself may be a sterile dead space but with a sound system that modern and all consuming its going to be a great venue for future electronic music gigs. The guys at Kompakt weren't fazed by the turnout and they gave the small but perfectly formed crowd a night to remember. Hopefully future gigs on this isle will better attended. It seems such a shame for people to miss out on gigs as inspirational this is.
