M-nus Contakt at O2 Academy Brixton

M-nus Contakt at O2 Academy Brixton

28 September, 2009
by: Nuria

Will the crowd be comprised purely of fanatics, heads firmly fixated on the stage, hands flailing in unthinking admiration, pious fervour ablaze in their eyes? Will the acoustics at the nearly 5,000-capacity venue (a former cinema in modernist times) undermine the sound, its high ceiling creating extra reverb and dispersing the bass? Will it be another uninspired, jaded affair, a fate befalling many a club night in London?

As my friend and I enter the O2 Academy Brixton on Saturday night for M_nus' Contakt special – a one-off electronic event put on by the Berlin-based record label and masterminded by founder and head DJ Richie Hawtin – it becomes clear that the answer to such fears is a resounding 'no'. The place is packed out, but somehow everything still feels orderly. As we navigate the long, carpeted corridors, I can feel the bass thumping from the other side of the wall and a chill of excitement runs through me. I've been craving a really good club night; I have a hunch that this will be it...

We walk up to the balcony to get a literal overview of the show, its bright lights and tech-house beats entrancing a crowd that moves in unison like a giant amoeba. Indeed, make no mistake about it: this is a performance. The concept behind Contakt, which seemed a little lofty on paper (a blurring of the lines between DJ acts? A multimedia clubbing experience?) is actually being executed before us to an enthralling effect.

Up onstage, Hawtin and three members of the M_nus gang stand behind a row of Macs and mixing decks, blasting a steady stream of minimal techno. But it isn't just beeps and blips on loop, it's a carefully-crafted interweaving of varying sounds with perfectly-timed lulls, breaks and climaxes. Anyone who says live deejaying on computers lacks passion or skill is wrong. Yes, it may be geeky – after all, Richie & Co., dressed in black like theatre technicians, barely divert their attention from the screens in front of them – but the outcome, as we evidence, can be mind-blowing.

The nine DJs headlining the core of the event (Hawtin, Marc Houle, Troy Pierce, Magda, Heartthrob, Gaiser, Barem, JPLS and Ambivalent) never appear disconnected from the crowd, and the occasional raise of an arm or swaying of the hips indicates that our enjoyment is theirs. They swap seamlessly; at any given moment a DJ in the spotlight vanishes to one of the sofas placed directly behind (yet visible only from the balcony) and another steps in. The whole thing is essentially one massive collaborative set, no doubt meticulously rehearsed so as to appear effortless.

The giant LED screen adorning the stage displays ever-changing patterns of lights, colours and images, including the M_nus logo, DJs' names and silly messages like 'hello london!!!'. My feet are twitching; I need to dance. Down on the main level, my friend and I wade through the crowd until we're near the front. Despite a dense dance floor, there's enough space to move comfortably and oddly enough, very little traffic. Everyone seems so into the music that there's no incentive to shift (especially after 4, when the bars stop serving alcohol).

The mixed crowd – including many Europeans and old-school clubbers – makes for a welcoming, jovial atmosphere. No one seems too out of it and while I notice a few people wearing M_nus t-shirts, it doesn't feel like we're crashing an exclusive congregation of Hawtin admirers. No; if anything, those in attendance are merely fans of good music and sweaty dancing sessions.

London has its fair share of so-called 'mega-clubs' (i.e. Ministry of Sound, Fabric, etc.), but they are not quite 'mega' in the sense of there being one huge dance area where everyone unites in appreciation of one artist or act. For that, venues normally reserved for live music concerts have to be used, which entails a risk for promoters. But Contakt proves that it can work. You are either there for the main event, or you're not there at all, as there are no other rooms of music. It creates a feeling of inclusion, of collective revelry.

But I'm being verbose. The gist is that it's a great night, worth staying at until all nine DJs join in for one last surge at 6am. As a black curtain drapes down over the stage, the sudden silence gives way to an eruption of cheers and applause. How many club nights end like this? Or maybe I'm just speaking as a brand new convert to the cult of M_nus, mwa ha ha.


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Nuria