Drumcode Tour kicks off with a bang

Drumcode Tour kicks off with a bang

10 October, 2008 | 1.11AM

• Written by: Industry Boy
• Filed under: Music News: adam beyer, drumcode tour, joel mull

The Drumcode Tour hit the ground running tonight in New York City, the first chapter of a North American techno story that’ll run for the next two weeks.

The odds were against Adam Beyer and Joel Mull today, what with the Dow Jones having dropped to its lowest level in three years and it being the biggest Jewish holiday of the year, Yom Kippur. Those two factors could have affected the number of attendees.

Tonight’s venue Cielo, too, ain’t known for hosting banging techno as it’s more of a house music club, but by 1am the driving percussive techno of the Swedish duo, clocked in at around 130 bpms, didn’t scare off Cielo’s well-dressed crowd who are used to things being less frenetic.

Adam Beyer planned to have a rigorous preparation session before the Drumcode Tour kicked off today, but due to a series of unfortunate events (a heavy weekend in Amsterdam and a plane ride 24 hours ahead of what he originally thought), he arrived in NYC feeling rushed, and dare I say it, a little moody.

“I need to stop being so negative,” says Adam, with a wink. We’re having sushi a couple of hours before he’s due to start spinning.

There’s a relaxed and jokey atmosphere about.

Also at the table is Alexi Delano, a fellow techno DJ who learnt his craft in Stockholm before moving to New York 12 years ago.

Along with Joel Mull; Alexi and Adam represent a core group of Swedish DJs who put their country on the electronic music map in the mid 1990s through their passion for techno music.

The three of them have known each other for 17 years, and “it’s kinda weird that all of us are doing electronic music as a career now,” says Alexi.

“We used to go to raves together and hang out, but now all of us are traveling the world DJing and producing techno.”

When we arrive at Cielo, Joel Mull is playing chugging groovy minimal and techno to a crowd of cool cats.

Cielo’s stunning cocoon-like interior and Funktion One sound attracts both electronic music heads and Manhattan scenesters.

Beyer takes over the deck reins and weaves in Minilogue ‘Snake Charmer’, taking the music up a notch.

The drum rolls and stunning rhythms of the track are well received by the crowd, and a few hands raise in the air.

In the past, clubbers have complained that Adam Beyer ain’t one for showmanship, but watching him play from behind the rose-tinted glass of the DJ booth, it’s easy to understand why he doesn’t do the funky chicken dance or a hoopla.

With two CDJs and a loop machine running constantly, plus a obsessive compulsive need to fiddle with the EQs and faders on the Allen & Heath mixer he is using, he barely has time to sip on a beer, let alone shake his arms in the air.

He’s pure concentration, and 100% output.

Dropping bass-driven techno slammers, looped up drum hits and percussion-heavy beats, Beyer paints a portrait of raw electronic rhythms.

For four hours Beyer and Mull deliver syncopated techno treats that are in harmony with Cielo’s futuristic interior.

The crowd gets locked into the groove and before long Beyer is dropping the techno classic Joey Beltram ‘Energy Flash’, for an end of the night hammer.

“You’ve got to have respect for the city you’re in,” he says, referring to the fact Joey Beltram comes from New York.

Aphex Twin’s ‘Analogue Bubble Bath’, finishes the night off with a melodic twist and the remaining crowd surges onto the streets of the meatpacking district, some singing and some falling into the gutter.

The first night then, went off with a bang. Tomorrow (or is that today?!) we’ll be flying to Toronto for round two.

• (1) Comments
• (1754) Views
• Get Joel Mull's Top 10 Tour Tracks on Beatport