Rebel Rave @ EXIT Festival 2011 from Dominic Kocur on Vimeo.
Sunday: Steve Aoki, Paul Kalkbrenner (live), Rebel Rave (Damian Lazarus, Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones)
We can argue the nostalgic redemption of Jamiroquai forever, but in truth Saturday at Exit was a write-off. Indeed DJ Sneak and Matthias Tanzmann et al were orchestrating what I expect was a wonderful night in the Dance Arena as we made our way back to the campsite, but our commitment to keeping ourselves fit and fresh for Sunday kept up our spirits.
Every party likes to go out with a bang, and Exit's finalé last year was a masterclass in how to bring a party to a close in style. The earlier chapter of Sunday last year was dominated by the Chemical Brothers on the Main Stage, a performance that absorbed so many that the Dance Arena was practically empty when me and Chris first entered to catch DJ Mehdi, the first of Ed Banger's three representatives to play that night. By the time Crystal Castles were ready to follow Mehdi in the Dance Arena, thousands had poured in from elsewhere around the fortress to catch what promised to be a memorable remainder of the night. Busy P whetted the appetite before SebastiAn's outrageous extended three-hour assault of raw, explosive electro, a set that would ultimately be named our favourite of 2010. Finally wrapping things up was A-Trak, who kept the longstayers beaming until sometime after 8am. It was a night of near perfect design, peppered with unforgettable moments of magic that would eventually become legendary, like SebastiAn's selection of the controversial full version of 'Threnody' that had us sat on the ground for over 10 minutes before its lethal climax. Expectations for the closing night at Exit this year were therefore very high.
We made our way purposefully to the Dance Arena when we arrived at the fortress, eager to mark our territory, but Steve Aoki and a mass of writhing, sweaty bodies stood in our way. Forcing to stay at no more than spectating distance, we watched with great amusement as the Dim Mak chief launched himself into the crowd on an inflatable dingy, soaked those at the front in several bottles worth of champagne, leaped around a lot and occasionally dashed behind the decks to change the track. I can't say I paid great attention to what he played, the majority of it plucked from his dependable arsenal of crowd-pleasing juggernauts (as well as his own self-proclaimed debut dubstep track, road tested to frightening consequences), but along with his frequent surges towards the edge of the stage to bellow down the microphone, the Steve Aoki show fulfilled no less than the one-man spectacle promised. Rest assured, there should be no confusion in the expectations for one who is faced with Steve Aoki.
Our night effectively started when Paul Kalkbrenner took over, but it was only then we became fully aware of how remarkably emptier the Dance Arena was in comparison to previous nights. From high upon the hills of the fortress that watch over the Dance Arena this wasn't so obvious, but on ground-level inspection the numbers inside were noticeably fewer. I can offer several explanations for this, but it wouldn't surprise me if many compatriots of ours had opted to miss the final night in order to catch Monday's early flight back to London, the last until Wednesday. This worked in our favour though, as we were able to glide through the prime zones of the arena with unprecedented ease. With tracks from his new album Icke Wieder comprising the bulk of his hour allotment, there was little eclecticism to Paul Kalkbrenner, but the veteran's wonderfully honest, unpretentious approach to making music is admirably reflected in how he brings it to us on stage. What Kalkbrenner avoids so naturally is the often inescapable ego of the solitary live act. In a musical scene congested with posturing unoriginality, Kalkbrenner is still a breath of fresh air, making tracks and relaying them with the unfaltering grin of someone who was entertaining thousands for the very first time.
While we had been far from deprived of Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler and Damian Lazarus this year, it was their B2B 'Rebel Rave' stint on the Sunday night that had more or less been the focal point of the festival for us ever since the drama of Thursday night ended. House, Techno. Deep House. Disco. The prevailing theme of their two hour voyage into the sunny ascent of Monday morning was predictable, but how these three individually charismatic selectors would handle a three-way split was not. Food for thought this was, but ultimately it was merely academic, as all it really meant was it gave each member ample time to dance and drink and enjoy the true spectacle it was. It was also a showcase of three musical minds that, in musical terms, are defining now. The influence these three artists have had on reshaping underground music is so easily underestimated, but here was their opportunity to really prove it. This they did emphatically, demonstrating an alchemy between them you would expect from the likes of the Tyrant duo, and selecting bespoke, elusive records that were of neither mundane predictability or personal overindulgence. The soundsystem coped admirably, and as the sun rose, flooding the fortress with searing heat with the Rebel Rave drawing nearer to a close, we could argue with conviction that this would be the part of Exit 2011 that would leave the greatest impression on us. On their own these DJ's are of the highest caliber, from the elite, but together they are a force beyond reckoning.
Before Sunday night, perhaps Exit 2011 was crying out for something it could be truly remembered by. Last year we were spoiled with these, but prior to the Rebel Rave there wasn't a great defining moment in all honesty. It was still, by festival standards an equivocal success, it's size and scale being enough alone to determine that, but thanks to those same faces, seen like clockwork on the London circuit, we took home something truly unforgettable.
