Sven Vath brings the Freakshow down under

Sven Vath brings the Freakshow down under

4 March, 2008 | 8.09AM

• Section: Music News Topics: Cocoon
• Written by: ross_annabel

It was the perfect venue for a night of unadulterated madness.

Melbourne’s newly renovated Queen’s Bridge Hotel is a dark haven for late night hedonists, and what better djs to fit the bill than the triumphant triumvirate that was Sven Vath, Steve Bug and Gui Boratto. 

On Friday the fearsome trio fronted Vath’s Sound of the Eighth Season tour, and partygoers were treated to a night of deep and haunting tunes ranging from minimal to trance to progressive, and everything in between.

Bug kicked off the proceedings with a characteristic set of minimal crowd-pleasers including new tunes “A World Without”, the bouncy “Wet” and Marc Romboy’s “Lost” featuring Tyree Cooper. His 90 minute set was typically understated, yet set the pace for what was gearing up to be an exceptional night. Ravers were well and truly oiled by the time Vath rolled out at 1.30am. Greeted like a modern-day Messiah, the crowd whooped and cheered as Sven stepped up to the decks, all keen to catch a glimpse of the Wizard of Oz in action.

He didn’t disappoint, launching into a 3 hour set that showcased the man as a true master of his genre, or of virtually any genre, for that matter. The Sound of the Eighth Season tour is a spinoff from Vath’s wildly successful run as the head honcho of Cocoon at Amnesia every summer in Ibiza. This 8th compilation pays homage to the party’s reputation as the most debauched in all the island (no mean feat), with the 2 disc set tellingly titled “Freak” and “Show”, respectively.

Vath deftly mixed a combination of the finest from his own back catalogue, as well as those of his contemporaries, working the punters into an absolute frenzy in the process. Highlights from the set included the trancey dub treat “The Deep” by Joris Voorn, Claude VonStroke’s “Ist Te?” and Carl Craig’s remix of the Junior Boys’ “Like a Child”. The height of Vath’s infectious whimsy came when he donned the tour’s trademark turban, lost his shirt and danced atop the stage like a whirling dervish, much to the delight of his spellbound fans.

Indeed, it was like watching a magician at work as Vath continued to raise the tempo to almost unbearable levels, then reign in the momentum at the very last moment, leaving the crowd gagging for more. His face lit up with glee as the wonky sounds of Alter Ego’s “Why Not?!” echoed from the speakers, calling to mind a crazed ringmaster, his audience at his complete mercy. By the time Vath’s final track ended to thunderous applause, Gui Boratto had his work cut out for him.

But the Brazilian wunderkind more than rose to the occasion, bringing his own brand of euphoric, uplifting techno to the table. Haunting classics “Chromophobia”, “Memory Inc.” and “Sin” sat brilliantly alongside his versions of Romboy’s “Eurasia” (featuring Luciana Villanova) and Adam Freeland’s bleepy “Silverlake Pills”. My own personal highlight was when he ripped out Robert Babicz’s Universum Disco remix of “Mr Decay”; I’ve never seen so many girls get up so fast in all my life!

All in all, a brilliant end to a superb night of minimal/progressive techno’s finest, and an event that’s sure to go down as one of the best international sideshows to hit Melbourne this year.

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