Sunday, April 26, 2009

Making Time w/ Simian Mobile Disco

There is a dance party institution in Philadelphia known as Making Time. Depending on who you ask, the history varies but, the gist of the thing is that whenever the powers-that-be have a act they feel like organizing a huge dance-beat-tastic night around they claim a venue and put out the word. In my short Philly tenure I have seen CSS [crazy rowdy intense fun] as well as N.A.S.A. [better off listening to the album] and like many hyped regular-ish dance parties it can be a tough call whether or not it will be the best way to pass a night. However, when they announced that Simian Mobile Disco would be "headlining" their next effort I figured that unless they canceled (a problem that has been plaguing Philly as of late) it would be well worth my $$ to see SMD at least once.

A slew of local DJ's warmed up the crowed until 12 when SMD took the stage. It wasn't a subtle entry by any means. Lights went out. Then a mass of flood lights on stage lit the whole of Pure up like the surface of the sun. Aaaaaaaaaand we were off. The James's worked their tables in a dance choreographed more out of familiarity than great intentional planning (one of the nice parts of being a 5'11 chick is that in heels I can usually get a nice view of the stage from anywhere in the crowd). While they spun their DJ magik one of the tightest light shows of extended memory pushed their beats and carnal bass rhythms to unexpected levels. The crowd was feeling it all the way. Undulating in the trance that good electronic music induces for the entire 95 minutes they were on stage. I'm not often compelled to review electronic shows as they tend not to put much effort into creating a unique experience (ie you would probably have more fun playing their remixes at home with your friends while paying a lot less for booze and cabs). But after witnessing SMD clear gift for entertainment I couldn't help but give them a little love. And you should too. Check out the rest of their tour dates here...

Simian Mobile Disco
Love

Side note- Another Philly dance party habit you should get into is Live Forever at the Barbary. It took over my Saturday night in high Mummer style (seriously check the photos to get the vibe of these events). After a weekend like this my feet are killing me but the pain is oh so worth it!

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