Smirnoff Experience

For all the talk of a crisis in dance music and club land, there’s little sign of any kind of downturn at the Tivoli tonight. After a short summer break, the Smirnoff sponsored Experience series of events is back, this time with a new angle.

Acknowledging the talent hidden away in the nation’s bedrooms, Smirnoff © Experience organised a DJ competition, the winner walking away with the grand prize of a residency at all Experience dates.

So, while finalists Dave Cairns, Robbie Keogh and Phil Watson deliver sets that take in vocal house, old skool classics and Steve Lawler style tribal prog, it doesn’t take long for the judges to vote funky house DJ Ken Murphy the winner. With the new Smirnoff © Experience resident selected, the night begins properly with FM104’s Al Gibbs playing a set that alternates between dubby tribal house – X-Press 2’s remix of Goldenboy & Miss Kittin’s ‘Rippin Kittin’ – and more trance led material, including a new mix of Orbital’s evergreen ‘Chime’.

While the Redsettaz and Bubbles take care of the sound track in the Tivoli’s new second room, keeping it soulful and, in the case of the latter DJ, house based, the main floor has turned into a heaving, sweaty mass by the time Johnny Moy takes to the turntables.

The Dublin DJ, who is currently working on his debut album with fast rising producer Robbie Dunne, drops a taster for the long player. Suffice to say if the rest of the album is as good as the tribal track we hear tonight, then we’re in for a real treat.

Upstairs Philth is spinning everything from Underworld to The Sex Pistols but the real focus of attention shifts to tonight’s guest DJ, Mr. C. Known primarily in more recent years for his role in bringing tech-house to a wider audience – although his initial chirpy greeting on the mike calls to mind his past as a rapper with The Shamen. The blonde haired End owner makes his Smirnoff © Experience debut with a tougher, more techno oriented set. Granted, Robbie Dunne’s recent release on Low Pressings gets aired early on into C’s set, but it’s the funky, tribal end of techno that prevails for the rest of the night. Mixed with precision throughout, tracks like C’s own collaboration with Tom Parris on 16B’s new label and Christian Smith’s techno re-invention of Pierre’s jacking Chicago classic, ‘Fantasy Girl’, bring proceedings to a sweat-soaked finale. In fact, seven hours and ten DJs later, it seems clear at this, the first Smirnoff © Experience since the summer break, that dance music is in shockingly good health.