LDMS brings the house down

It can be something of a double edged sword when you’re an artist who has become associated with one song from your catalogue. On one hand, you have in your arsenal a track that is guaranteed to make dance floors go wild from the first beat.

On the other hand, it can often lead to artists wanting to diversify their sets after endless requests for the same song, which risks disappointing an expectant crowd. In the case of Oliver $, ‘Doin’ Ya Thang’ is undeniably (and deservedly), Beatport’s best selling song of last year. With a recognisable vocal cut from fellow house DJ Moodyman, and a deceptively simple bass line, the end result took 2011 by storm.

With this in mind, the first booking by Liverpool Dance Music Society (LDMS) was an impressive one. Having never hosted a ‘big name’ before this, it was a booking that surprised friends and regulars. The venue for this showcase was Magnet, a small club on Hardman Street decorated with vintage décor and photos of the club from its long 50 year history. In charge of preparing the room were two LDMS regulars, George Bartlett and Nick Assheton, both more than capable of getting the increasingly large crowd warmed up for the main event. Playing a combination of house and slower techno, they drew people away from the tables and towards the front where it was really going off. A refreshing switch up was offered by George towards the end of his set, when he brought the BPM down with some new material from TNGHT and Baauer that paved the way for James Rand to take the stage at one.

Rand has residencies at numerous locations across the city, having warmed up for countless big names, as well as regularly lecturing on music production at SAE Liverpool. This wealth of experience shines through when he gets on the decks, seemingly playing with unlimited energy and a sense of fun – perfect material for a night when 3 for a tenner Jägerbombs are the drink of choice. As Rand’s house beats thundered on, there seemed to be a slight sense of impatience from the crowd – however much they were enjoying the warm up acts, Oliver $ was glimpsed preparing just off stage, and it was nearing his time.

At half two, Rand raised up his hands in quiet appreciation, and the crowd responded in a much less restrained manner. Oliver $ stepped up to the plate, gave a quick glance around the room and surveyed the drunken sweaty mass of people, before launching off a surprisingly heavy tech-house number. Over the course of his hour and a half set, both temperature and outrageous dance moves increased in intensity, with Oliver $ guiding us throughout with clever mixing and solid song choices. ‘Doin’ Ya Thang’ even made a fleeting appearance, the catchy bass rhythm causing even the soberest people to tap their feet.

The LDMS promoters were all up on stage by the end, enjoying the festivities and thanking everybody for coming, surely holding (and rightly so) a quiet optimism for the future of the society. With another great booking already confirmed (Darius Syrossian, October 16th), the future looks bright for a group of students who took matters into their own hands to create another great night in Liverpool, and one that will surely improve with time. Watch this space: with an outstanding first show already taken care of, great things are definitely on the cards for the rest of the year.

“The night was buzzing and much busier than we expected. It was great to see such a great reception for Oliver $, our first, and hopefully not last, big booking. It seemed that the crowd all knew the tunes, which created an awesome vibe throughout the evening.” (George Bartlett)

“The night was a massive success, we’d like to give a huge thanks to all those who came down and an even bigger thanks to those who have helped promote LDMS over the past 4-5 months. Let’s hope we can keep up the good work and provide Liverpool with quality underground electronic music for as long as possible.” (Nick Assheton)

Links:

http://www.facebook.com/events/276181409168323/?fref=ts http://www.facebook.com/ldmsoc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzV11AUobVg