Well, SD Union has barely given us 2 weeks to recover before another installment is coming up this Saturday, `10/12 at The Merrow in San Diego. I guess you have to take FREAKING ADAM F when you can get him! This has got to be his first appearance in SoCal in a hot minute, at least at a small venue. That being said, I'd better get this review of the more than comparable Photek before this one rolls out.
First, let's talk about The Merrow. The venue used to be The Ruby Room but has recently changed management/ownership, so not much has changed for the SD Union Denizens. I do miss the graffiti on the wall outside the club, and the bar staff still needs to work out a few timing kinks, but otherwise the drinks are still a great price, the new decor is nice and they have some great local craft beer options, so for the most part it's pretty much the same, just classed up a bit.
So Photek (along with Adam F) is what I call a "second tier" producer; this is the group of DnB talent who came out with releases within a year after the first tier/inventors Hype and Goldie, with his first release out in 1992. What this means to me is that these guys are OG to the thousandth power, and have done more than most of us can comprehend to shape the scene that we've all come to know, and you can also go ahead and frigging give them credit for Dubstep while you're at it. Something I didn't know is that he's also been nominated for 2 Grammys. So, while I never doubt SD Union's ability to pull big names (especially since J Majik 18 months ago), I was still surprised, if for nothing else than he hasn't been in SoCal since about 2006. We're taking it next level this year!
As is my horrible jaded scenester custom, I didn't get to The Merrow until around midnight, missing Will Guise, Evlo, and resident Ghost MD. I'm sure they laid it down, however, and one of these days I will have to stop being a dickhead and come early. I did catch the end of Adia Break's set, and that definitely got the crowd going and ready for Photek. MCs CSD, Subliminal, and resident/founder/birthday boy along with Eric Yo, Ridda, were also on hand to amp the crowd and host.
Photek holds a special place in my heart not only for shaping DnB as a whole but being instrumental in creating darkstep and techstep, which readers have seen me laud in other posts and with which I identify more than any other sub-genre. In this area, he did not disappoint. Photek's set consisted of many of his own classics, current sick tracks which also had lots of dark flavor, and dubplates that I bet we couldn't even date because none of us will get our grubby little hands on them. Not just tracks, Photek's set had a nice overall dark n' grimy feel, and with me still on such a high from Wreckignition, it was like methadone to help me come down.
It was also Ridda's birthday as I mentioned, and what better way to celebrate - jeez. Apparently there was a little cake mishap, but who needs a frigging cake when you've got Photek on your birthday? Pssh, not me! Beyond that there was a great chill vibe and everyone seemed to have tons of fun. Great party as always.
So now we have Adam F (Breakbeat Kaos), jump-up OG, coming in on Saturday and I'm barely over September's parties. The event will be at The Merrow once again, and cover is $10. For more information, go to the SD Union: Adam F event page or SD Union's Facebook page. Be there or be frigging stupid!
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