Gig time baby!

South Bay Beach is Hong Kong's answer to the South of France... just check the water quality before you dip!

Temperatures hit the mid-30s as I headed down to South Bay Beach Club to play with DJ Steve Bruce, who is a regular DJ at Soho joint Solas. Having chilled on the beach quite a few times, I knew what to expect but was still pretty nervous at the prospect of playing for the “South Bay Sessions”, which has included some of Hong Kong’s more well known DJs.

First set 4-5

Had a lime soda to start cause I didn’t want to come across as a total boozer. Pretty chilled openers to smooth things in, with afro beats, juju/highlife, reggae and funk. Roady by New Zealand dub/reggae outfit Fat Freddys Drop was a good one. Went for a swim afterwards (how many gigs can you go for a dip in between sets? Sweet!).

Second set 6-7

Started quite aggressively with a bit of old-school hip-hop, though didn’t get the good reaction I expected with De La Soul’s The Magic Number (plus I screwed up the mix). Got a bit heavy with Justice’s D.A.N.C.E., which always goes down well, followed by Freestylers’ rocky Electrified, a truly cracking track. Chilled it out with a few melancholic jazz numbers and brought it up with !!!’s Must Be The Moon and North American Scum by LCD Soundsystem, getting a pretty good reaction. Went to watch the sun go down with a cold beer and Steve playing some great tracks, like a scene from some cheesy movie (above).

Third set, 830-9

Finished it off with a bit of funky house. Not my favorite, but no worries about playing it and really kept the crowd moving. This got a bit much because we had to close down, so I put on something which I thought would drive them away. Chucked on The Klaxons’ Atlantis to Interzone, which I thought would be the perfect “f**k off” track with its “uh-uh-uhs” and off time electro-rock madness. Actually, it kept people going! Haha. I was like WTF?!?

Damn that was the perfect gig on the perfect day. I want another one soon!