The Weekend Has Landed - Friday - Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, Martyn, and Carl Craig

Got up a little late today, long day yesterday, really needed those zzzz.... headed over to ACD beach late afternoon to check the party going on there. Really cool spot, they had these sprinklers inside the bar spraying a super fine mist of water, nice and cooling, so necessary for the heat today.

Chilled at the beach for a while, quick pitstop with Dean and Mike, then grooved on over to the gorgeous Theatre De La Mer to catch a couple of live acts. First of all, what an amazing venue - behind the stage, you have this beautiful backdrop of the sea and coastline - breathtaking.... then as the sun goes down, you can see the moonlight shimmering off the waves.... easy to get lost looking out. Backstage was decent too - oysters, fresh bread, nice salads, good wine.... yep, feeling this venue hard.

On to the music - we were it a little late, so unfortunately didn't get to see Elan Mehler play. As we arrived, Sebastien Schuller was just going on stage. I guess i'd describe it as a curious blend of indie / rock / electronic... some with vocals, some instrumentals.... felt right for the time and surroundings, yeah, nice.

After Sebastien we had Soil and "Pimp" Sessions - don't really have the words to describe these guys - simply AWESOME!!! The music, the vibe, the clothes, the players,.... just KILLIN!!!!! It's been a long time since i've seen a band for the first time, and been blown away... but man, these guys absolutely smashed it, a real force at work.

For those of you that don't know about Soil and "Pimp" Sessions, you need to - a six piece Japanese jazz band made up of Midorin (drums), Akita Goldman (bass), Josei (piano, keys), Tabu Zombie (trumpet), Motoharu (sax), and President aka Shacho (agitator) - put together, the stage exploded, they popped off!! Can't say enough good things about this band, so refreshing to see and hear... each player commands their respective instruments, and the sum of all parts just nails it... and to top if off, they're proper safe too! Check the video, check their myspace page, become fans.... trust me, have a listen.... so worth it, highlight of the festival for me, absolutely brilliant.

Anyways, after their amazing performance, i would have been happy to call it a night.... but obviously couldn't - scheduled for the main stage tonight was Dorian Concept, Martyn, and Mr. Carl Craig. Couldn't go straight though cause I had to slide back to get my earplugs and another memory card (filming Soil and "Pimp" Sessions cained my camera). Had a bit of a moment on the way back with the weather - that unmistakable smell of a storm brewing was in the air, and it started to rain. With all the venues being outdoor, that would've been a big problem... but thankfully it stopped, and we headed back to the main stage... at 1:30am.

As we walked down the pier towards the venue, a bass line started creeping in - a bass line that had Martyn written all over it!! Soon as we got in, had to roll backstage and get down on the stage! Some killer bits from Martyn as always, deep in it as always, i dig this guy and his music. His whole set had this infectious groove to it, one of them shoulder poppers if you know what i mean... couldn't stop getting down, rude, rude, RUDE!

And then to the main event - Detroits finest, the one and only Mr. Carl Craig. Straight off the bat, there was no messing - man went in DEEEEEP, and stayed there, proper chestplate business!! It's always awe-inspring to watch a master of his craft at work, and this was certainly the case for me watching Carl Craig. I sat backstage for over an hour watching him do his thing, working the crowd, and just going off! Maximum respect goes out, a true professional, an honor to watch.

Grabbed a pain au chocolate on the way back to the hotel, and strolled home watching the sun rise. It's now gone 7am, and I've been treated to some amazing music tonight. Thank you Soil and "Pimp" Sessions, thank you Martyn, thank you Carl Craig.

Later on today i get to see Jimi Tenor live, followed by Jazzanova on the main stage, finishing with none other than Mr. Laurent Garnier. Oh, and the bPizZaaM is playing on the beach - yep, It's gonna be another big one.....

LINKS

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions on myspace

Soil & "Pimp" Sessions @ Victor Entertainment

Martyn on myspace