Sean Cusick & John Digweed @ Centro-Fly - Review

[janky]

March 31, 2003

http://www.electrophobic.com/Journalistic/030331.html

Sean Cusick & John Digweed @ Centro-Fly [March 26] [New York, NY]

When the Centro-Fly promoters announced that Sean Cusick and John Digweed would perform the first Wednesday following the annual Winter Music Conference I wasn't exactly sure what to think. Afterall, the party was to be held on a Wednesday and there was no holiday anywhere in sight. Thus, for many, there was the gloom of an ensuing day of work and attendance at Centro-Fly either meant taking a sick/vacation day or having an awfully rough time at the office. Even so, there still would be those that wouldn't be able to make it due to work commitments or logistic reasons. On the other hand, we are talking about New York - a city that truly doesn't sleep and one that holds plenty of diehard Digweed fans. So, it was very possible that the promise of an elongated set and a $15 cover charge could lure the devoted in large numbers. Therefore, I decided not to press my luck and opted for an arrival time just before 10 o'clock.

Upon arrival to Centro-Fly I was greeted with a pleasant surprise. There was absolutely no line to get into the club. In a matter of minutes I had entered the club, checked my pullover and had my first drink in my hand while listening to Sean Cusick warm up the floor.

In all the times I've heard Sean Cusick perform in the opening role, he has almost always started the night in a minimal and downtempo manner. Often, over time, the music would slowly but surely advance and eventually we would hear the culmination of intricate and well-defined sounds just prior to the headliner taking the decks. But, on this night Cusick decided to change his policy and entertained us with music that was definitely on the harder side of the spectrum. There were those that were surprised by Cusick's direction but overall his set served its purpose because there were more than a few that were moving and grooving on the dancefloor.

By 11:30 the club had filled up significantly and Digweed could be seen wandering around the booth readying himself and his records. No more than ten minutes had passed when I heard a roar from the crowd. Although I was no where near the dancefloor, there was absolutely no doubt in my mind about the meaning of the applause. It was clear that Digweed had seized the decks and the heart of the night was about to commence.

Before getting into the details of Digweed's set, I'd like to digress for a moment and comment on the vibe. While Centro-Fly has never been notorious for catering to musically minded patrons it has seen significant improvement over the last year. The owners have not only improved the layout of the club but they have also upgraded the quality of the sound system. However, there was still the possibility that the air could be filled with some level of pretentiousness as often is the case on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays where the music sometimes becomes a second priority to the scene. But, I am happy to report that the vibe in Centro-Fly was truly the best I had ever seen it. Everyone that was present was there for two reasons - to hear John Digweed and to dance off their asses.

It had been almost a year since I'd heard Digweed on the decks so I can honestly say I almost forgot what an amazing experience he is capable of providing. After taking over the decks from Cusick, Digweed opened the night with four or five tracks that all contained vocals, including Steve Porter's mix of Amber's "Anyway" and the recent rework of East West Connection's "High on Life" by Lexicon Avenue. Not too long after Digweed shifted gears and propelled us towards complete dishevelment. The music spewing towards me was exactly the kind of music I wanted to hear and just everyone else in Centro-Fly, I was going absolutely crazy. Digweed was effortlessly melding some of the most complex tracks into a single, perfectly saturated wavelength. There wasn't a single break in the sound that could be ascertained and for me that is the Digweed factor. Above and beyond the music he places on the decks it his mixing that yields the insatiability within me. I simply just can't get enough.

After creating madness within Centro-Fly utilizing the recent Deep Deep, P. Diddy, and Kellis collaboration titled "Let's Get Ill" as well as Ubu's utterly massive "Ride The Snake", Digweed halted the music and stepped into some breakier music. Following the breaks the music turned arguably progressive with the beautiful, yet mysterious synths of "Donner Pass" by Momu. This is absolutely stunning piece of music that appears to lie on the cusp between breaks and the journalistic melodies of early progressive house.

Just prior to Digweed being on the decks for five hours the night reluctantly came to an end. The final encore of the night came in the form of a remix of the popular "Clocks" by Coldplay. From what I gather, the mix has been done by Cosmos, aka Tom Middleton, who also composed the infamous "Take Me With You". It is not certain whether or not Middleton's focus in writing the two tracks was to create astonishing encores but, in like fashion to "Take Me With You", I am positive his rework of "Clocks" will be played towards the end of many sets to come as it was the perfect contrast to an already hectic night.