Tiefschwarz + Spektrum - 14.1.2006

Why do good dance artists attract bad dancers- Perhaps it is a continuation of the Yin/Yang principles of Chinese philosophy, where the negative vibes generated from hand-clapping and whistle-blowing dancers are counteracted by the positive energy dispersed by good dirty beats- Perhaps not. Either way, both Spektrum and Tiefschwarz provided a solid performance at Room to a clumsy but enthusiastic crowd.


Walking into Room, the first thing I noticed as I sauntered to the main dance floor was how overwhelmingly male the crowd was, especially as electro gigs typically attract a lot of females. However, the local support acts soon put gender inequality concerns at ease with their energetic and, at times, deliriously frenetic sets with Tahl, Feigan and Dee Dee deserving notable mentions. Spektrum provided a much-needed break from the non-stop electro house played in the main room with a hard-hitting funk set. Although keyboardist Gabriel Olegavich was missing from the ensemble, Spektrum sampled his keyboard melodies to re-create the rich sound found on their album 'Enter The…Spektrum'. The group worked well together, feeding off each other's energy and building a strong, interactive vibe from an audience largely unfamiliar with their work. Yet vocalist Lola Olafisoye did steal the show with her ebullient stage presence as she crawled across the stage, writhed and contorted her body around the metal stage barriers, and shimmied as she played the maracas to get the crowd to dance. Personally, she had won me over as soon as she walked on stage - any woman who looks good in a sheen silver pantaloon jumpsuit has got my vote! Undoubtedly Kinda New formed the highlight of Spektrum's set, which was performed live with the Tiefschwarz remix played underneath, adding an extra punch to an already gutsy track.

Tiefschwarz lived up to their name, 'deep black', by playing a deep and dark house set which received jubilant cheers and claps throughout their two-and-a-half-hour gig. For the most part, the set consisted of squelchy basslines and driving beats and rarely used vocal tracks except for Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang and Dab Hands' remix of Lou Reed's Satellite of Love. I personally found Tiefschwarz most enjoyable when they explored more gritty and haunting tracks like their own Issst and The Hacker's Radiation; however, the crowd was generally more responsive to more uplifting rhythms. Although Tiefschwarz's set at Room was not as dynamic as their performance at Melbourne's Summadayze two weeks ago, they did seem to generate greater crowd interaction which is no small feat in a hollow space like Room. So even though the set dropped its energy levels at times, the markedly intoxicated Ali Schwarz supplied endless entertainment by playing air bass guitar, cheering at himself and the audience, gazing at his cap and dancing/stumbling behind the decks. Tags