After the success of their first celebration at Basing House in London with Octave One, the guys at Jaunt decided that for their sixth birthday, one party just wasn’t enough. It was only fitting to bring home some of the birthday love and hold Part Two in the town where it all started six years ago - Newcastle. With six great years of bookings, stand out nights and a nomination for DJ Mag’s Club Night of the Year, along with a Best Small Club nomination for Cosmic Ballroom (which was recently fitted with the first VOID Tri-Motion soundsystem in the UK), this was truly a night of high expectations - and there’s no doubt they were well and truly met.
As the Jaunt residents did a great job of warming up, the whole club started to pack out, with everyone eagerly awaiting the arrival of German Innervisions’ artist, and recent RA number one DJ, Dixon. He hadn’t played in Newcastle in years, and after the huge success and praise the Innervisions imprint received this summer, the tension in the air wasn’t surprising.
Dixon truly captures the soul of melodic techno. His sets are crammed full of harmonious soft synths and undulating basslines, and this time was no exception. His set, pulsing through the space’s brand new sound system, was a journey of unadulterated sensualism as he locked into a serious groove with cuts like the Redshape remix of Martyn’s ‘We are You in the Future.’ He led each listener on a journey through the most cerebral of electronic music, with tracks like Jeremy Greenspan’s ‘God Told Me To,’ and a heavy nod to the nascent days of Berlin’s vibrant clubbing scene as he teased each track to its climax. When he played Ripperton’s vibrant re-rub of new one-to-watch producer Baikal’s ‘Why Don’t Ya,’ the atmosphere was electric: no chin-strokers here, the crowd passionately jumped and yelled in delight at the tune’s drop.
Dixon is indeed one of house and techno music’s most incendiary talents. Always uniquely dressed (this time in a jumper with a print that, to my delight looked a lot like snowflakes), he continuously showcases an effortless versatility that many artists yearn to perfect, but from him, we have come to expect. After being crowned 2013’s Number One DJ in RA’s poll just yesterday, both Jaunt and Cosmic Ballroom can be proud to have housed this musical juggernaut for his penultimate gig in the UK for 2013. It seems they were ahead of the game on this one, which is why both DJ Mag nominations did not come as a big shock.
Jaunt and Cosmic have carved out a vibrant niche within Newcastle for those passionate for everything house and techno, and it’s safe to say that, six years on, this is still just the beginning for them. Happy Birthday Jaunt!