Stacey Pullen @ rOOm, 26th June 2004

It's with much anticipation that Stacey Pullen returns to our shores, the man is an institution, an inspiration in a scene that's all too saturated with the mediocre and mundane. His annual sets, of up to 5hrs have been heralded as some of the best ever. It was with no small excitement that I trekked up to Hawthorn with a good mate to see him in action.

We arrived as Stacey took the helm, and he made his presence known immediately. I've no doubt that the previous DJs warmed up the room in fine style, but Stacey owned it. Phat tech-house beats and monster basslines were the order of the day, and the dancefloor howled it's appreciation at every opportunity.

Working the mixer and slamming in tune after tune, Stacey had the place in the palm of his hand. Favourites like Donna Summer's seminal 'I Feel Love' layered over the gnarliest of funkin' bass always go down well, but maybe not this well! With the floor in a frenzy, there was no escape as bassline replaced bassline and the journey continued.

Occassionally diverging to take in some other influences, Pullen's Detroit roots still shone through with epic, soul-stirring moments amidst the chaos of 4am dancefloor debauchery. Whether it be tripped out minimal, hat-heavy techno or jacking house, the theme remained the same. Dance people dance!

It's hard to fault the man when he pulls of nights like this time after time. I'm sure the music wasn't to everyone's taste, and maybe the purists didn't get the specific Detroit experience they were hoping for, but when it comes down to it, he rocks, and he rocked it for 5 crazy, crazy hours. Respect where it's due, I know I'm looking forward to his second appearance at Honkytonks next week!

Tags