DECIBEL FESTIVAL 2011 | DAY 1
September in Seattle wouldn't be the same without Decibel; now in it's eighth incarnation and firmly situated as the premiere electronic music and arts festival in the Pacific Northwest. Over the four years that we've covered the festival, it's expansion and evolution from year to year has been nothing short of impressive. Perhaps most notable was this year's inclusion of the historic Paramount Theater, which would appropriately play host to the US debut of Amon Tobin's ISAM live show.
Decibel kicked off on Wednesday and ran thru Sunday. After a quick trip up north to swoop a friend's Nikon on top of various other supplies, the only task left to do was pick up the festival passes for the week. The W Hotel served as Decibel HQ for the weeklong festivities. Situated in the heart of downtown, one would recommend staying there based on location alone. Guests unfamiliar to the Festival were in for a treat as DJ's occupied the front lobby providing a warm welcome for the week to come.
Parking. Overlooked by ungrateful passengers everywhere, it's always the first order of business. Easiest Solution? Park it for the week in the hills just north of the Space Needle. This leaves you with little to no parking restrictions, homes full of people who would be attentive to a car alarm, a 15 minute walk/5 minute skate to town and no stress for the week. Easy to access, yet just far enough out to use as an excuse to not drive to DB in the Park on Saturday. In the end, you're left with more cab fare and a great lack of responsibility.
Opening night at Decibel presented the festival-goer with options at four different venues well within walking distance, as well as another showcase a quick cab ride away. It could be played a number of different ways, but starting the festival off getting loose at the Drum & Bass showcase was an easy choice. The line up on the night consisted of Sonic MC hosting for the likes of Grym, Demo, Kid Hops, Total Science, and Hive.
The commute from the Drum & Bass showcase at The Baltic Room to Re-bar where Zomby was to perform was literally stumbling distance: approximately 3 minutes total and completely downhill. Early arrival was in mind as memories of last year's Decibel lines were still remanent. Despite numerous people milling about outside, entry was instant for pass holders which was a recurring theme throughout the weekend. Out to Decibel for smoothing out that aspect this year.
This was the scene upon entry into Re-bar. Having done no research before hand, it was to be assumed that the musician at hand was likely a relative of someone in Kraftwerk. Dressed to the nines, armed with an MPC, and a wealth of visuals; his stage presence was interesting to say the least. Initially perplexed by the fact that Araabmuzik (who performed at a different showcase Wednesday night) was not on the same the bill as Zomby, it soon became apparent that ATOM's varietal IDM was indeed a great precursor.
Despite his reputation, Zomby showed. He cleared up questions regarding this matter in his recent interview with the WIRE publication and his appearance at Decibel marked the case closed.
Selections varied and included Hardcore & Jungle, Wiley’s 'Eskimo', originals such as 'Aquafre5h', a Dipset or Max B Anthem, and perhaps even a dubstep tune in there as well. Flawlessly mixed? Far from. Spliffs of peng ablaze? Nonstop. Zomby's a producer with expensive taste. If production alone covered this, it's hard to imagine the need for his seemingly uncomfortable appearances as a DJ. Seeing no need to be fixated on the DJ, time was better spent admiring the selection of retro-futuristic meets vintage porn of visuals that Decibel had sorted for the occasion. Much like the track selection, these too were on point.
