INTHEMIX.05 Featuring Tiga And Ajax (Syd) - 18.11.2005

Electro is like the Paris Hilton of dance music genres: most people can't stand it because of its attention-seeking antics, let alone its attention-seeking fans. As a genre it has catapulted onto the music scene and has consequently endured criticism both within and external to electro music circles - the media backlash surrounding Fisherspooner's 'No#1' album as a telling case in point. Tiga has defied such reproval through his unique style which, in spite of typifying the electro sound, has circumvented such media opprobrium. It was unfortunate however that his pioneering sound was not showcased to its fullest potential at his rather uninspiring set at Metro.

ITM 05 had all the essential ingredients for a good party, except the crowd, which uncannily resembled Zoolander with their gratuitous posing, come-hither looks and "I'm so hot right now" fashion. But hey, it was an electro gig, so I guess it comes with the territory. Somewhat surprisingly, Boogs played the opening set in the main room and kicked the night off with his signature eclectic booty-shaking beats.

Grant Smillie followed suit keeping the energy up as more punters gradually filled the dancefloor. Bang Ganger Ajax jumped on the decks next and played a strong and diverse track selection ranging from Roman Flugal's Geht's Noch- mixed with Eurythmics Sweet Dreams, to the hip hop rhymes of Princess Superstar's Bad Girls N.Y.C, and the brash guitar riffs of Guns N' Roses' Sweet Child Of Mine. At times, Ajax would only flirt with samples for a few seconds before bringing in the next track, creating a densely textured sound and intense energy on the dancefloor.

Tiga commenced his set in full gusto yet; overall, it did not live up to expectations. Although his set was punctured with bursts of electro goodness, it felt lethargic with filler tracks outstaying their welcome. The second half of his set generated a greater response from the crowd with Tiga's club hits Louder Than A Bomb and the more recent You Gonna Want Me eliciting jubilant cheers and whistles. Tiga's remix of Thomas Anderson's Washing Up was also well received and Tom Middleton's Blue Sunglasses, a mashup-mix of Tiga's Sunglasses at Night and New Order's Blue Monday, went down a treat, providing a brief glimpse of the real talent that Tiga has to offer.

Tiga concluded his set with a quirky remix of LCD Soundsystem's Tribulations, but by that stage the crowd had somewhat dissipated. At the risk of sounding presumptuous, perhaps the crowd didn't "get" Tiga's style because their exposure to electro consists of One Love anthems which played in the background of their first moments of bicuriosity. Whatever the source of the problem, something was amiss, for Tiga failed to engage with the crowd.

Tiga's production work is exceptional and original. His use of irony and cheekiness, evident in his remixes of Felix Da Housecat and Miss Kittin's Madame Hollywood and Soulwax's E-Talking, separates and defines his work from other electro artists. These elements of originality or frivolity were missing from his set which, although it made a good night out, was nothing exceptional.




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