Belgian bass-lover Alix Perez was yet another big name that Aperture has secured in the past few months, and is no-where near the last of the big names that will be coming later this year.
But, Perez, real name Alix Depauw, showed us exactly why he was considered one of the “Leaders of the Nu Skool” last Friday night. With countless releases through dozens of labels, an LP which he put out last year and some crazy collaborations with people like Foreign Beggars and Noisia, Alix Perez is certainly hot property right now – which is why he attracted such a crowd to the small walls of Clwb Ifor Bach.
The night kicked off with a duo of debuts, the first of which coming from Whitchurch’s finest Screwy. The pint-sized DJ made up for his height with one of the best opening sets Aperture has seen for a while – earning one of the only rewinds I’ve seen in an opening set, when he dropped Micky Finn and Aphrodite’s classic ‘Bad Ass’ into High Contrast’s ‘Racing Green’. Screwy hasn’t played at Aperture nights before, but did extremely well on his first Friday night forty-five.
The second debut of the night came from (shock) myself (E.R.B)! I can’t really review myself, but thanks for anyone who danced while I was on, it was a fantastic experience.
Following on from me was Welsh-speaking DJ G-Fync, who brought a soothing blend of drum and bass tracks like Marky’s LK, featuring MC Stamina, which got the crowd bouncing around soulfully and Reuben singing along in eclectic fashion. His 60-minute warm-up well and truly did warm-up the crowd, as temperatures inside the place reached insane levels – the room was sweatier than an orgy in weightwatchers. G-Fync brought a summery and bouncy feel to the night too, with tracks like Duoscience’s Diva and Interface’s Get Down.
He was almost forced to play on a little longer than expected as Alix Perez was nowhere to be seen, but with just minutes to spare, the Belgian arrived to belt out his home-grown bangers.
And belt out the bangers he did, kicking things off with an insanely-bass-y half-time track which had the whole crowd screw-facing beyond recognition. And, if things weren’t getting hectic enough already, Perez dropped Shellshock – probably his most popular tune of 2011. With the flavours of Foreign Beggars included, Shellshock always sets the pace for the night to come. Perez took the crowd on what can be best described as a sonic journey, and although the bouncers were putting their earplugs in, the rest of us couldn’t get enough of the intense liquid funk the main man was providing. Perez’s mixing was picture perfect too – his sixty minutes seemed like one endless track. He put on one hell of a show that’ll live on in Aperture’s hall of fame – until the next time the producer graces Clwb’s prestigious CDJ1000s.
Following Perez was Smash, who continued the audio assault on the Aperture regulars with a final hour of killer drum and bass. Dropping classic after classic, including Ray Keith’s ‘Chopper’, Smash controlled the dance floor with relative easy. He knew the right tracks and he knew how to mix them. A highlight of the set was Shy FX and UK Apachi’s Original Nuttah double dropped with Lynx’s Disco Dodo – a combination which truly deserved the rewind it got.
As usual, Reuben hosted the night with the same crowd-pleasing charm that earned him his reputation in the first place. Like I said before there’s nothing like the soothing sound of the rasta MC singing over LK – it really emphasises the peaceful party atmosphere the place really has – no attitudes and no massive egos, just tunes, good vibes and skanking. That’s how Aperture does it.
Once again we quickly caught up with co-ordinator Dan Aperture for a word about the night.
“Big thanks to the Perez and all the residents and MCs who make the night what it is! Aperture has come to have an incredible party atmosphere which is much friendlier and fun than other drum and bass nights that I’ve been to. I’d like to say thanks to all those who came and left all their differences and attitudes at home, the smiles on your faces put a smile onto mine too. It’s all about faith, love and hope!”
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
We don't run any advertising! Our editorial content is solely funded by lovely people like yourself using Stereoboard's listings when buying tickets for live events. To keep supporting us, next time you're looking for concert, festival, sport or theatre tickets, please search for "Stereoboard". It costs you nothing, you may find a better price than the usual outlets, and save yourself from waiting in an endless queue on Friday mornings as we list ALL available sellers!
He was almost forced to play on a little longer than expected as Alix Perez was nowhere to be seen, but with just minutes to spare, the Belgian arrived to belt out his home-grown bangers.
