Chicken Lips @ Family - 21.8.2004

Over the last four months I've been lucky enough to see nearly every international DJ that has passed through Perth and believe me, there's been plenty of them. This weekend though, I was in Melbourne and it's a whole different ball game! Deciding on who to see when I'm not even familiar with the local DJs could have been a major dilemma. But no decision was required - there was a successful DJ and producer in town named Steve 'Fella' Kotey.

It's exactly a year to date since Steve Kotey last played at a 'Family' night at Seven and again, it was his only Australian performance. Steve is from the UK and he's the third and newest member of dance producing outfit, Chicken Lips. He has a hectic touring schedule, DJing around the world representing the Chicken Lips sound.

What did I expect to hear from Steve Kotey's set- Well I'd heard that last year's gig was damn good, so at the very least I expected it to be a lot of fun. I also expected a very funky set that included a lot of house, a bit of breaks and just a smidgeon of electro.

I'm not sure what a Family night at Seven is usually like but the place was absolutely jam-packed. I actually lost my friends for over an hour. Being unfamiliar with the Club and local DJs, I have no idea who was playing when I arrived sometime after midnight. Initially I ended up in the second room and it was really good to hear a more progressive sound, something I find missing in Perth's dance scene.

Steve Kotey began his set at 1:30am and as expected, it was immediately funky. I didn't attempt to get anywhere near the dancefloor. The long skinny room at Seven meant that the closer you were to the DJ, the more difficult it was to move, let alone dance. It was a little disappointing though because at first, I couldn't even see Steve Kotey behind the decks!

As the night kicked on, Steve had warmed up and thankfully, I had found my friends and felt more confident to get on the dancefloor. I'm glad I did as the atmosphere was a lot better and I could see what was going on. There were plenty of cheers, great dancing moves and even sparklers! Steve himself was completely absorbed in it all - his full concentration seemed to be on the timing and flow of the music.

I thought his track selection, mixing and timing was impeccable. I hadn't heard the majority of tracks he played before and it was refreshing to hear a non-commercial set from an international. Overall it was funky and gritty sounding and very electronic. He combined tech house, breaks, electro and techno and even a bit of acid house, and managed to keep my interest for the entire three and a half hours.

The highlight of course, was Chicken Lips' track titled 'He Not In', which was played twice and got the entire club on their feet. Maybe Steve Kotey will continue to visit Melbourne on an annual basis and hopefully next time, the rest of the country will get to experience it too. Tags