Nortec

The Nortec Collective was great last night. The evening began with a set by Latinsizer (one member of the collective). It was not an auspicious beginning. His simple, melodic groovin was fine for a crowd that thinks that Daft Punk is the height of originality and cutting edge, but I'm too seasoned to fall into that camp (double entendre).

Next up was Panoptica, another member of the Collective. His set was a little better. It was more upbeat and prone to a slightly harsher, more techno sound. Still what disappointed me in both of these sets was the lack of a "Latin" sound. Neither set would have been out of place at a hip club in New York, Paris, London, Berlin, or Tokyo. And the guys were good - just not that good.

Plankton Man stepped to the table and played a set that was a big improvement on the previous two. The focus was on a harder dance edge and I appreciated hearing distorted vocals and more modulation of the treble sounds.

Fax came forward and it soon became clear that the group had decided to build the tempo and excitement throughout the night. In fact, I quite liked Fax. His noodling with ambient tones over top of dance rhythms in the beginning then going for a full on dance sound and hinting that the tones would return, which they did, in the end was very nice. It was a well rounded set and one I would like to see again.

Finally, the Nortec Collective came forth. Now, if there was one bitch about their set it would have to be that the previous ones lasted too long and that made for a shorter Nortec Collective set. The sum was definitely greater than it's parts. The band rocked and hard. They mixed in references to their Latino roots along with tributes to Kraftwerk, space themes, and other artists. The visuals were totally cool and the DJs looked to be having a really good time. The crowd was excited and did not want it to end. The best was saved for last, I just wish that there was more room so I could get a larger sample.

OK, I'm completely knackered. We got in around 2:30 and I got up with the co-signer to make her tea and see her off to work at 6. I'm heading into work shortly. To entertain yourselves, try this blog dedicated to German cover tunes. Selections range from Dusty Springfield to rap music.

By now, if you've read this far, you're probably wondering what the picture on top is all about. Well, I was reading a post on Messiahbomb's blog today about his wife complaining about him cooking vegan meals. Then I came across this site from which the above picture is taken. Call it synchronicity.