Crystal Method @ Element w/ Flave + Austin Payne

[dirk]

I must first confess I am a total Crystal Method groupie... And have seen their live PA and DJ sets 6 previous times. Ive been hooked on their sound since '94. Needless to say, nothing short of a nuclear war could have ruined my night.

I arrived at about 11:00 PM and the place was already buzzing with people. Austin Payne was throwing down the hip-hop grooves in the 2nd room which is where I entered. Despite the fact the DJ booth hovers some 20+ feet off the ground he was getting the crowd the dose of beats they needed. The main room was out of control (in a good way). Having seen Flave a bunch of times I must say he really took it up a notch for this set. DJ trick after DJ trick he tirelessly worked the crowd into a frenzy with his high energy house. If that wasnt enough he proceded to play some funky sax ontop of the records timing the buildups and breaks with professional accuracy. Nice set man!

At about midnight the Method arrived on stage welcomed by a frantic crowd ready to get down. They opened things up with a slower break track that was leaning on the darker side... They were changing things up. Suddenly the track broke down and busted into the guitar riff from Born Too Slow off their latest CD. Instantly recognizable to any CM fan the crowd responded with hand in the air. Party time... No turning back. Most of us probably know that they are way better producers than they are DJs so I wasnt expecting to be blown away with Technics 1200 jedi skills. Their skills behind the decks were decent as they switched off every 2 records or so. Big bassy breaks covered by sick electronic synth leads were the basis of what they played. The sound system there in my opinion is one of the best in Seattle... Very loud at times. They worked the crowd into a frenzy over and over. The main floor was packed and difficult to find space to groove at times, but that was expected and things somewhat opened up after a 1/2 hour of their start. They played until about 2:30 to a tireless crowd.

To sum it up, it was a great show and I eagerly await the next time they come through Seattle. Until next time.. Keep Rockin'.

-Dirk
http://www.myspace.com/westsidefriendly/

[anniemal]

Thanks for the great review. I really enjoyed reading your well-written summary of the night!

[Ram]

The idea of checking Crystal Method and Flave out at a revamped Polly
Esther's, now called Element, sounded intriguing enough that I had to
make it happen.

In terms of music, the night was perfect. When we walked in, Flave was
playing a great set which had its highlights, particularly when he
pulled out his sax. His set was a bit different than usual and mixed
in all different kind of music. However, I've heard him spin many many
times, and I've been in situations where it has been better, most
notably at the Last Supper Club on Thursdays in combination with
Jordan and Hyperfunk.

This was my first time hearing Crystal Method and they were
awesome. I'm not a big fan of live music anymore, and I'm glad they
played a DJ set that included tracks from their latest album. The
entire set was punctuated with deep bass/synth riffs, and I use the
word "riff" to indicate their rock sensibility. One of the reason I
like Crystal Method is because they are creators of electronic music,
unlike most DJs (I refuse to call electronic music creators
"producers"--that just brings Rick Rubin to mind), and I was glad to
hear some original music.

The venue, Element, however, ultimately left a bit to be desired. At
the outset, I have to say that the staff (bartenders, bouncers, etc.)
were extremely nice. The club has also been redone very well and has a
feel to it that I've only seen in Asian clubs (which are designed from
the ground up to be entertainment centres, rather than modifying
existing buildings). The music and the sound system is excellent, one
of the best in Seattle.

There was however one thing that irked me: drinks get taken away even
if they are near full when they are left unattended for only about two
minutes. I had to order four Chopin martinis to get two into my
system. I spoke to the bartender about this and she said "it's to
protect you from people spiking your drinks." Hello, this is Seattle,
not Beijing or Bangkok (where I just spent a whole month and where
people do indeed routinely do this). I've never been to a single club
in Seattle where spiking drinks was considered a problem (and I've
been to many of them). So this is either telling that Element is a
risky place to be, or they take away your drinks so you simply order
more. All this does is encourage people to dance with drinks in their
hands, which is annoying.

While I saw some familiar faces, I felt a large portion of the crowd
was simply a revamping of the old Polly Esther crowd. The bottom
line is that this is my first and probably my last time at
Element. Good luck to them.

[Randall Glenn]

All I have to say..... Flave is hand down one of the best dj's to see live!! That man had the whole place jumping like no other!!! Then the b-box at the end of the set with him on the sax OMFG!!! It was good to see Gavin, Andy, Darren, MarQ, David, Travis @ Element!! What a nite!!


::MAKE SURE to make it to WHITE OUT next weekend Nov. 20th @ OseaO::

[_blank_]

did any of you see AC Slater there?

[MarQ]

TCM rocked, solid night one of the best nights at element yet.

I only wish I was gonna be in town friday for Scott Bond...

[prog-lover]

Didn't attend this but heard from a couple peeps who did that the system was obnoxiously loud.

[Dr. Aborto]

fuk I missed it, I knew it was wrong but I did it anyway.