Kiko @ Lasergun - 26.8.2005 Event Review

Kiko @ Lasergun
Friday 26th August 2005
Honkytonks

Melbourne must be the land of Eros, for we are under siege by Gigolos. Earlier this year, Digital Music Festival goers saw Gigolo artists David Carretta and The Hacker deliver astounding sets, and the assembled masses at Kiko was eager to lap up some more Gigolo action. Inviting the crowd to bring along their vibrators in celebration of Kiko's work with Gigolo Records, and his own label Hot Banana; Lasergun ensured that Kiko and his audience were well equipped with the necessary tools for a good night.

True to Honkytonks' style, the club's environment was eclectic - to say the least. The DJ booth was deeply immersed within faux jungle surroundings, whilst bizarre B-grade porn formed the audio-visual backdrop. Honkytonks resident Boogs and Lasergun residents Dave Pham and Cecille steadily built the vibe with patrons clumsily attempting to pole-dance before the dancefloor became too full. Kiko graced the decks at 1:45, raising the tempo a notch with a powerful electro-tech opening. He quickly launched into his current release Jack The Box where the sleazy bass lured previously hesitant punters closer to the DJ booth. It was followed by Spektrum's electro hit Kinda New, then a quirky mash-up of Funky Town with Soulwax's NY Excuse, ensuring Kiko sustained the energy of a near frenetic crowd. After about 45 minutes, the mood shifted with the introduction of more synths and a deeper, layered sound. Just as impressive as Kiko's mixing was his ability to judge his audience, one example being the perfectly timed use of Lindstrøm's I Feel Space, the delicate percussion of the track captured and enhanced by Honkytonks' acoustics. Kiko gave a respectful nod to the ever-popular Berlin electro sound, before moving onto to more uplifting artists like Black Strobe, Tiga and New Order which generated raucous cheering from the crowd.

However, by 3:30 it seemed that Kiko had begun to lose some of his steam. His textured sound temporarily transmogrified into churning and uninspiring techno. Kiko attempted to reclaim his audience's interest with Vitalic's classic La Rock 01 - a personal favourite of mine - yet he could not bring the energy back to its original level. With a brief homage to his long time friend and collaborator, The Hacker, Kiko finished his 2½-hour set on an italo-disco note with Sinema's Keep Me Hanging On (a project featuring himself and Gino S). It seemed odd that Kiko introduced his Italo-Disco flavour so late in the his set, given that part of his tour was to promote his label Hot Banana which was created as an Italo-Disco outlet. Another weird choice was the heavy reliance on other artists material, especially since tracks like Kiko's Good Sluts Factory, were notable omissions. Nevertheless Kiko performed a good set which was, on the whole, well received by an enthusiastic crowd.

Amanda Storey
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• kiko