reverberation and reflection.

Thursday, 3 April, 2008. Philadelphia.

8:45pm: everyone is finally all at the apartment where we've been slowly gathering, but drinks are still being drunk and dinner is still being eaten by the apartment residents. a couple people had class this evening.

9:30ish: it's raining. a brief discussion occurs under the awning of the pizza place on the corner as to whether we should walk or wait for a cab, but the venue is about 6 blocks away. eventually common sense prevails, and we walk.

9:30pm: we arrive at the TLA. security is a lot more lax than i remember it. i am asked to empty the pockets of my vest after a brief pat-down, but the guard doesn't then examine my vest again. my legs aren't even included in the pat-down. i used to have this pair of raver pants that included a little velcro-ed pocket right up in the crotch. ostensibly it was for your house key or something, but everyone knew it was for pills. this was when they used to actually pat down your legs.

there is more bass coming up off the floor of the venue (it had been a movie theatre about 30 years ago... my parents saw Yellow Submarine there). this will continue all night.

10:15pm: i ask my friend why they always let these fucking progressive DJs do the opening set. there was one for Underworld back in september as well. we both agree that progressive is the most mis-named genre in musical history, because it isn't. he speculates that it's so that whenever you walk in, everyone is at the same level.

10:40pm: Sasha & Digweed finally go on. the distinctive glow of Apple's icon from the lid of a laptop is clearly seen. Sasha goes first.

11:10pm: some chick behind me whines, "i thought you said this would be over by 11!"

11:30pm: Digweed replaces Sasha. my friend decides he needs to go home and sleep. the tickets were $30, to only be there 2 hours seems like a waste to me. also, i had to negotiate even to get a promise that we would go home at 2am. i am now left alone leaning against one of the balcony pillars.

11:30pm - midnightish: my feet hurt. i continue leaning against the pillar and listening to the music. and the bass. the walls of the TLA are curtained, but the floor and the ceiling are perfectly reflective. in the background, there is a constant chatter of conversations magnified by these surfaces. people keep walking into me. it must still be raining out; a lot of their clothing is wet.

this is one of the times i miss cigarettes... when i used to smoke, they made a really good way of passing the time. i could lean up against the wall and light a cigarette, and when i was finished, i knew at least 10 minutes had passed. Sasha and Digweed are also using ableton, so they're switching up songs about every minute to minute-and-a-half. this results in me checking my watch a lot.

a guy walks by reciting "X,X,X,X,X,X,X." feels like old times.

some time after midnight: two other friends find me at the pillar and ask if i'd like to move to the bar with them. this seems acceptable. i am carded. also, initially, i have lost anything to lean against. a stool is found. i haven't been dancing, or rather, i've been dancing as much as i ever do, which means kind of bouncing slightly in place, so i'm not dehydrated. and i don't have any money anyway. i text him to let him know i've moved from the balcony pillar to the bar.

12:15am: he comes and finds us at the bar. he also finds a friend of his, an ex-londoner who has set up with a recording studio here in philly. they spent all morning together mastering his newest track. the exhaustion begins to hit.

12:30am: Sasha comes back on. Digweed has been spinning CDs, Sasha is using exclusively Ableton running on an Apple laptop (i couldn't see if it was still a powerbook, or if he had invested in the macbook pro, although i rather suspect the latter) and a midi controller. josh wink comes by to get drinks.

12:45am: Sasha and Digweed start working together. i find myself hoping this is the finale and the show might end at 1. i'm tired.

1am: still going. both of them. i move to another stool out from under the balcony over the bar. the highs are hurting my ears. i keep checking my watch.

some time after 1am: they all move to the very front of the bar. i am given a secluded space in front of the curtained entrance to backstage. i am told "it's quieter here." i comment that it's not the noise; i'm just tired. i've been up since 6:30am. i'm so tired i might as well be stoned. only one hour left. we're giving his friend a ride home. i get confirmation again that we will leave at 2am, regardless if the show is over or not. i rather suspect it will be. at least i hope it will.

1:30am: the security guards are getting anxious. two girls have managed to get on stage. we are chastised for blocking an exit (we're under an exit sign, but the little right-pointing arrow is lit, indicating the exit is elsewhere). we move anyway.

a girl motions to me that she would like me to put her jacket someplace. i put it on the stool in front of me and pat it like a cat. she blows a kiss at me and runs off to dance. she will later ask me if i am on myspace, so she can share pictures with me and pout when told i'm not. i give her one of my email addresses instead.

2am: the show is over. their manager announces it is John Digweed's birthday. the whole venue sings "happy birthday" to him. i will later hear that he is really fucked-off about it.

security guards start yelling at people. we're chased out of the bar. we hover on the floor, waiting for his friend, who is backstage talking with Sasha and Digweed. we're harassed by a guard again. then he (the guard) goes up and yells at his friend to get offstage because we have to go away.

we're finally herded out, back on to south street in the rain. there is more yelling. his friend apologizes for getting us yelled at. he was trying to negotiate getting us backstage to hang out, but Digweed was in a bad mood, and then the guard started yelling.

it was a fun night. i'm tired, my feet hurt, and my throat hurts from yelling conversation all night, but i'm glad we came. we haven't done this in a long while. and since smoking indoors has been banned in philly, we don't reek like ashtrays or are covered in raver funk.