Photo: WENN.com
It’s 24 hours since the Mayan prophecy of the apocalypse went unfulfilled, but that won’t stop London partying like it’s the end of the world, not when Soulwax are in town.
Not only that, but it’s Chriiiiistmaaaaas, and if there’s anyone who knows how to make a Yule totally rule, it’s Soulwax. Curated by Belgium’s baddest brothers, the annual Soulwaxmas grabs Brixton by the baubles as we step into Christmas and dance into the early hours.
It starts with the blissed-out throbbing grooves of Kindness. With crowd invasions, inter-band Secret Santa and a whole lotta soul, Kindness makes for a surprisingly extrovert stage presence. He also does this real neat trick where he bounces a drumstick straight into the drummer’s hand, just before a solo. It’s a lot cooler than I’ve made it sound, maybe you had to be there.
He may have left LCD Soundsystem behind him, but James Murphy still knows how to own a room. The portly hipster godfather blends a smattering of styles and rhythmically-charged earworms that paint a full picture of the influences behind LCD’s lauded and greatly missed sound. His set glows with a classic and old-school charm, which is at times esoteric, but never self-indulgent.
Suited, booted and here to tear Brixton a new one, Soulwax always hold their audience with a titan grip. Remixing themselves at every turn, Soulwax rework their filthily infectious sex-rock that defies genre and warps the mind until the line between electro and rock disappears in the blur of flailing limbs. A short burst of pure ecstasy from the likes of E-Talking, NY Excuse and a whole of jammin’ sees Soulwax end 2012 with one of the performances of the year.
Erol Alkan’s eclectic set keeps the kids dancing, but it’s Soulwax’s return as alter- ego 2ManyDJs who bring the evening to an almighty peaking climax. They don’t just shut up and play the hits – they breathe new life into modern and canonised classics with their inimitable and imaginative style. Their sheer love of music is catching, and nothing is out of bounds – as long as it’s awesome. Few other DJs have the same style, panache and balls to put their own stamp on a set that flows from Mumbai Science and Crookers into the likes of everything from Metronomy, The Rapture and MGMT to David Bowie – all complete with a hilarious multimedia montage of ‘living’ record sleeves. What more do you want? Blood?
As Run DMC rings out and ticker tape snow rains down, Brixton rejoices arm in arm. Christmas really did come early. Bring on another new year, hell, bring on the apocalypse. It doesn’t really matter, as Soulwax say: part of the weekend never dies.
