James Holden @ Room - 11.2.2005
Author: Phil Watkins
Monday, February 21, 2005
James Holden is has easily been one of the most shining lights in dance music for quite awhile not only for saving progressive house and making it turn a corner at the tender age of 19 with his remix of "Pistolwhip" by Joshua Ryan but with a production style that is unique and euphoric. There couldn't be one clubber who could be proud of his or her music collection who wouldn't have one of his tunes in the collection somewhere or for that matter had a religious experience to one of them on the dance floor! You reckon I was excited when I heard he was coming out...-
Room Nightclub in Hawthorn was to be the place for this one and it couldn't have been a better venue as James Holden's sets have been renound for their heavy bass lines and electronic bleeps and loops not to mention the trademark euphoria.
The night started off in the side room for me as the birthday boy Big Kev was warming up the crew with some favourites and some choice cuts for the early risers so to speak. A good crowd was in for the Friday night event and this definitely suits the main room in the venue as the atmosphere can really get to boiling point and Boogs was certainly getting close. Now one of the most followed DJs in Melbourne he put up an excellent warm up set with some of the more well known electro tunes and some stormers that really got the crowd jumping, a great show to see the locals pulling their weight once again, it is good that our scene has developed to the point where we can expect nothing less.
At two thirty, James Holden joined the crowd and started it seemed as he meant to continue with some grinding electro bass lines which built a steady foundation and also built a great atmosphere at the same time. I distinctly remember the cage being the place to be for the beginning of the set as one of my friends found that nothing is sacred when the time is right! With James Holden's distinctive style, the time flew, I couldn't help but get the impression that there was a heavy old school influence to the majority of the music and I can remember thinking that it was almost as if dance music had come full cycle and picked up a few little things on the way through. The slow heaving bass lines, repetitive hooks which got people into the same trance we were seeing all those years ago, I must say I was surprised how little of the older style of James Holden but it wasn't a bad thing at all as the energy level was kept consistent over the hours and it was definitely worth the wait.
If you missed out on this set then you can make up for it by grabbing James Holden Balance Volume 6 compilation which might give you an insight into what you missed..!
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