It's quite possible you missed Scottish duo Optimo's set at a Seattle warehouse in February 2017, organized by the excellent High & Tight crew. Judgment errors happen. Obligations get in the way. It's understandable. Anyway, JD Twitch (aka Keith McIvor) of Optimo bestowed a late holiday gift to people with ears and good taste in dance music with a two-hour 40-minute edit of the eight-hour performance that he and partner JG Wilkes delivered last winter.
Given that Optimo excels in eclecticism and possess more than two decades of DJing experience and even more years of record-collecting, they deliver a wide-ranging journey into ass-moving and mind-stimulating sounds, including what I think is an obscure remix or re-edit of CAN's kraut-disco klassiks, "I Want More"/"...And More." Despite the faux pas of dropping New Order's "Blue Monday" in the 21st century, Optimo keep the rhythms interesting and varied and the transitions smooth, so you barely sense a hitch when the style and eras shift—the sign of true expert disc jockeying. From festive to stark and foreboding, there's nary a dull moment—well, except for "Blue Monday," but maybe that's just me.
To help give you some context about the show, JD Twitch offered some insights.
This was quite a strange gig for us. We had almost no information or any idea what to expect in advance. I always try to find out a bit about every gig I do but could find literally no information about this in advance. Sometimes surprises are good and this night was definitely a great example of that as it ended up being in our top three favourite gigs we played this year. We played a long set but it was one of those nights where the hours seemed to fold in on themselves and perception of time ceased to matter. This recording is definitely not a great example of a super tight DJ set but there was a looseness and freedom to the night that I hope becomes apparent while listening and sometimes it is important to appreciate that what was happening in a room at certain points of a night transcends what one hears when listening back. This was a super special party where everything was done right and for the right reasons. A night that will resonate in my memory forever and that was a true honour to play at.
Lesson: If Optimo are DJing in your vicinity, rearrange your priorities to get your carcass to the party.
