Decibel officially kicked my ass this year. Despite all the drama,
technical issues, and visa complications, the festival organizers once
again put on one of the best electronic music festivals in North
America right here in Seattle, giving the city a moment in the
spotlight.
The opening gala at the Henry made for a great start. It was
low-key, with a steady stream of people filtering from room to room and
through the galleries. Kate Simko’s set echoed through the building and
spilled out into the surrounding blocks, with Philip Sherburne
inspiring a motivated few to dance. The early highlight was Lusine,
whose ambient set was complemented by the serene visuals and
ultra-quiet auditorium. Overcast played a wonderfully dubby set to the
handful of people that opted to stay in the increasingly chilly
open-air space, an early surprise.
While that gala marked a good opening for the festival, it was just
the calm before the storm over at the Death of the Party showcase.
Despite Simian Mobile Disco’s early slot, the audience was rendered a
sweaty, dancing mess. Switch’s stage presence and DJ skills were
lacking, but his set reinforced his production acumen. Diplo proved why
he’s the king of the hipster dance circuit, dropping Nirvana (it wasn’t
entirely lame, really) along with his party cuts, inviting the crowd to
party onstage with him. The fun was a bit more subdued over at the Orac
showcase, where Konstantin Gabbro closed things out after inspired sets
from the entire bill.
After Thursday’s excess, Friday was largely a night of rest.
Truckasauras brought out DJ Collage for their set, one of the tightest
seen from the 8-bit beatsmiths. They did their best, but the malaise
around Neumo’s was impenetrable, whether it was Kill Memory Crash’s
industrial or Guns ‘n’ Bombs’ set of aural exclamation points. Turns
out the action was at Chop Suey, where Jacob London one-upped last
year’s surprise monkey-mic appearance by dressing in full wizard
regalia. The music was great, but it was hard to not just stand and
watch the spectacle.
Saturday afternoon, I opted for the Sensory Effect showcase. Taal
Mala impressed by sticking to a deep and dubby aesthetic rather than
strict genre. Lowfish’s electro (the original variety) was equally
bass-centric, but people were trickled out to catch Jerry Abstract’s
close. Neumo’s was busier than the previous night for 3 Channels and
Speedy J; the VIP Room was packed for Jeff Samuel, who moved to Berlin
last year and brought the gritty, European vibe back with him. Kristina
Childs delivered a blistering set at the afterparty before Speedy J did
his thing once again.
Sunday looked like a scene from Dawn of the Dead, with most
attendees lazily shuffling about. AAM’s droning IDM was perfectly
punctuated by live drumming and retro visuals. Frivolous delivered one
of the festival’s best sets, augmenting beats with his electromagnetic
knife, animated presence, and bouncy experimental house. A hard act to
follow, and Phon.o—performing without Chris De Luca, who was
stopped at the border—seemed positively lethargic by comparison.
Wolfgang Flur provided an anticlimactic close to Neumo’s. Downstairs,
the Mothership label showcase was a grand introduction to the
experimental techno label’s sound, closing out with a rousing set by an
excited Italoboyz.
That’s the thing about Decibel: With so much good music, there was
no excuse to listen to anything less than great. 