Hernan Cattaneo, Anna
Embargo, Elizabeth Quay
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Summertime means Habitat Garden Parties – and Perth’s premier house brand have been getting creative this season, putting on parties in new and unique venues and locations around town. Australia Day Eve was one of the best yet and a first for such an event at Elizabeth Quay. A beautiful spot by the river and two of South America’s finest selectors providing the soundtrack for the evening – rising tech-house star Anna and veteran, progressive purist Hernan Cattaneo – it was the recipe for the perfect evening.
The gig was setup at Embargo, EQ’s pop-up bar, a sprawling outdoor area with a perimeter constructed from wooden pallets and bars made from shipping containers with rooftop decks – the luxe space is dotted with chairs, tables and umbrellas and had a spacious, relaxed vibe. It was a great night for it, with the scorching hot day giving way to a balmy evening, and with the oncoming holiday, it was a happy, friendly crowd – of course Habitat gigs often are, appealing to more mature, stylish, discerning dance music fans.
The DJ booth, an elevated wooden shack, aka the “Habitat Tree House”, was setup at one end of the venue with the city skyline as a backdrop, and tall palm trees giving things a really tropical beach party feel. Local house producer and DJ JimiJ kicked things off early from 4pm as the crowd began to file into the venue and take shelter under the umbrellas.
Coming on at 5.30pm, it was an early set for a DJ the likes of Hernan Cattaneo, but he had two and a half hours to work his magic, as the sun began to sink towards the horizon. He started fairly slowly, just building the vibe and settling in. Early on, most people were content to sit around with a refreshing beverage, but slowly a loose mob formed at the front, starting to get into the groove.
Perched in the tree house, sporting black sunnies the Argentinian looked very much in his element, as he tailored the tunes to suit the mood. He worked things up gradually ‘til around 7, and as it began to get darker, so did the music. He introduced some heavier beats and more intense sounds, and the crowd became more dense, moving as one with the music.
Cattaneo’s mixing is always impeccable, and tonight he was particularly on point, as he drew out transitions into long, winding, layered soundscapes, weaving a complex, seamless, silky tapestry. He has a distinct melodic style, but remains firmly underground. A classic purist, his style is timeless, displaying mixing as an art form. Over the course of 30 years, he has honed his sound, from his early days in Buenos Aires, before being taken to the world stage by Paul Oakenfold. He has risen through the ranks and remained true to himself, ignoring passing trends, on his endless quest to search out new sounds.
The two large Funktion One speaker stacks pumped out clear, crisp beats all night – they could have been a tad louder, but at an outdoor gig in Perth, you expect that. As the sun set, the lights came up, and the stage was drenched in colour. Three wide LED panels lit up behind the booth, displaying cool visuals.
The last half hour of his set was particularly strong as he effortlessly conducted the crowd to fever pitch, drawing out more emotion with each big breakdown. El Maestro, as he is known, had them under his spell. Melancholic strings, sweeping synths, deep, flexing bass, and smooth, rolling beats. Cattaneo is all class, not a showboat DJ, but rather lets the music do the talking. He seemed on the cusp of smashing things out a bit harder, but like a true pro, held back respectfully for Anna, leaving the crowd perfectly primed for her.
Brazilian-born, Barcelona-based Anna, has risen up the ranks of in-demand DJs around the world in recent years. As she took over, she immediately picked up the tempo and dropped into a harder groove. With deep techno and minimal house flavours, she pumped out dark, rolling beats, perfect for hedonistic dancefloor mayhem. Occasionally the minimalistic nature could get a bit samey and felt like it wasn’t going anywhere. But overall the tunes were solid and the crowd were loving it.
As her set progressed she got into some harder techno sounds, dropping the wicked hypnotic tune The Solution by Rob Hes. The lights and visuals really ramped up for Anna’s set, as she and the dancefloor was engulfed in smoke, strobes, and explosions of colour. It was a great set to finish the night, but didn’t quite have the subtle magic of a Hernan’s more dynamic and melodic sound.
It was a wonderful night of dancing under the stars. Many of the crowd chose to kick on after at Geisha, continuing the celebrations all through the night, until the sun rose.
ALFRED GORMAN
