PURE feat. Carl Cox, Adam Beyer, Eric Powell, Noir
Metro City
Monday, April 24, 2017
Another long weekend for many, the second in a row, and what better way to cap it off than a massive dance party. And that’s exactly what Pure brought to Metro City on ANZAC Day eve – and Perth came out in force, ready to party.
With a career spanning four decades, Carl Cox is still at the top of his game. Some thought he might retire last year when he finished up his 15 year residency at Space, Ibiza after 80 year old owner Pepe Rosello who’s led the club since 1989 retired and handed over the keys to the massive Ushuaïa Resort across the road. Cox had no interest in staying on without Pepe, so he finished off with a massive closing season, including a marathon 10-hour vinyl set. But Cox has no intentions of hanging up his headphones just yet. He’s more of a free agent now, and has established his own new brand Pure, with a focus on straight-up techno. No mess, no fuss, no fluff, pure unadulterated dancefloor rocket fuel.
Last year he debuted Pure in Sydney and Melbourne (where Cox has resided, in Frankston, since 2005). This year the Pure tour expanded to the west coast, thanks to Perth crew Habitat teaming up with Cox, Eric Powell’s Bush Records and Melbourne’s iconic Hardware label. And for this tour they assembled a solid team of heavy hitters.
Metro City worked well for the night too – the mammoth multi-tiered venue was packed early on with over 2000 punters keen to get their party on early, with the 3am curfew. While Pure has a back-to-basics, music-focussed ethos, that’s not to say they didn’t bring it big-time in terms of the visual show too. Metro’s giant smoke-filled stage exploded with dazzling, spinning, coloured beams of light, mounted on three big, suspended LED squares that pulsed, morphed and strobed impressively in time with the music. Huge green multiscan lasers fanned out above. And the music was pumping hard all night.
Local lads and Habitat residents JimiJ and Green George got the party started early on, before Madchester legend Eric Powell stepped up. Also a Melbourne residing ex-pat and regular touring companion of Cox over the years, as a consummate DJ, Powell’s knowledge of all things house and techno is immense. A relatively early set for a man of his stature, he got things started proper. Shouts out as well to the other Perth legends, including James A and Saul Bliss who provided the vibes in the more intimate Terrace Bar upstairs.
Taking us into prime time was in-demand Danish DJ and producer Noir, whose profile has risen in recent years with the release of his full length self-titled album in 2015, which he featured, including big singles featuring vocalist Haze Around and Angel. Noir’s style is heavy and intense, with a wall of throbbing bass. His set really got the dancefloor heaving.
Then it was time for the big man. There will never be another Carl Cox. He is a true legend and has been synonymous with dance music for so long now, his mere presence behind the decks excites people, and his infectious energy and occasional hype on the mic is truly inimitable, with trademark comments “Oh yes, oh yes!” or “Awright Perth, are you having a good time?!” coming before slamming down another beat.
From the second he took over, it was on. Heavy, thumping beats, with a distinct uptempo party sound. He definitely kept it hard, but blended in some house sounds and acid flavours, revealing his roots. There was always an urgent sense of propulsion and Cox has a unique, efficient style, winding tracks together, keeping that insistent, hip-shaking bass going with an innate sense of timing.
Sporting dark sunglasses, with his big, bald head and shoulders sticking up from behind the panel, he was totally in control, flicking the mixer around like a child’s toy and grooving to the beat. In the second hour he progressed to some more melodic sounds, before taking things up to a big crescendo and bidding us farewell to huge cheers.
It’s never an easy task to follow on from Carl Cox, but if there was a man for the job, it’s Swedish veteran Adam Beyer. Cox laid the foundations for a solid innings, knocking some big boundaries, but Beyer smashed it out of the park with his closing set. It’s been awhile since the Drumcode Records founder has been in Perth. He’s been running the renowned techno label successfully for 20 years and has been coming here for as long, impressing fans with his distinct and uncompromising style. As with Cox, Beyer featured some cutting-edge sounds, including some new Drumcode releases like the massive tune Awakened by Ilario Alicante.
Beyer knows how to work it and gave the crowd what they wanted. A perfectly paced set for the time of the night – a bit harder, a bit deeper, with splashes of wild sounds and futuristic noise that had the crowd in a trance. He kept it moving but not so much as to distract from the constant groove, and seemed to be enjoying himself behind the decks, legs planted apart, swaying side to side with the beat as he worked the mixer, using four CDJs. The intricately layered, crisp sound came booming through the big Metros system.
3am seemed to come way too fast, and due to archaic public holidays laws, Beyer had to stop. The crowd really didn’t seem interested in going anywhere, screaming for more, even when the lights came up and the crew came out to start packing up.
It took Cox himself to come back out and get on the mic and tell everyone that sadly that was it – but not without thanking us for an amazing night and being the best crowd of the tour. While it may have sounded like platitudes, those who felt the electric vibe in the massive room felt it was true. A massive event in every sense, quality techno and world class production – Pure was the sort of gig Perth’s needed for quite some time. Can we go back and do it again, please?
ALFRED GORMAN
Photos by B Rex
