The Carling Weekend 2006: Dance Tent

United Kingdom | | 01 September 2006

The downsizing of the dance element of Reading from having two days of dance music to just one was a much welcome change made by organisers Mean Fiddler. The punks of the festival were happier to have two days of the Lock-Up Stage, freeing the Main Stage for more metal and mainstream indie bands. The dance fans were kept happy because quality of the acts on stage today were first class, which meant that at all times the Dance Stage remained at full capacity, a feat it had failed to do in previous years. This year the stage was split between independent dance acts during the day, to which Coldcut were the headliners, and then at night Radio Soulwax played host to the tent.

The mid afternoon slot for Sway, a UK grimy hip-hop urban rapper and producer, was not the ideal spot for the up and coming artist, as the sunlight glared into the tent giving an altogether different atmosphere to the dark dank urban dance halls that he was used to. That said, his performance oozes professionalism and true showmanship, and it is evident that touring with The Streets has prepared Sway for the diverse nature of the Reading audience. In order to cater for the hardcore fans and by chance onlookers into the tent, Sway works the crowd, getting them to shout his name and clap on demand, producing an engaging set that rapidly draws in the punters.

Coldcut really deserve no introduction as to who they are. As the founders both of Ninja Tune and Big Dada record labels, they have given us undoubtedly two of the best acts around today, that of Mr Scruff and Roots Manuva, who have both been Reading favourites in previous years. Now it was Coldcut’s turn to show us what they do. For those who are lucky enough to fit into the Dance Tent, Coldcut produce an awesome set which has looped visuals providing a backdrop for the different types of dance music that was being generated. At first glance, the band do look like the members of Channel 4’s ‘Time Team’ masquerading as a dance act. However, upon hearing the music produced, you soon realise that Coldcut are anything but impostors. Tonight the audience are taken on a dance music educational tour, that starts off with drum’n’bass, through to hip hop, and then into techno, as well as throwing in some Bangra beats for good measure.  The set is held together with an MC who guides the crowd through their journey. Utter Genius!

To kick-off Radio Soulwax’s night, Belgian quintet Goose use multiple layers of synths to create a deep and throbbing bass, which resonates around the Dance Tent. Unlike some of the other dance acts on today, this band do not suffer from the influx of metal noise coming from the Main Stage. Inside the tent, the sound is literally deafening and throughout the set is impossible to remain unmoved by the music, because the sheer vibration coming from the bass of the synths is literally earth moving. This ensnares passers by, and draws them into Goose's bizarre synth world. At times the bass does overtake the melodies that the other synths omit. That said, the crowd seem to love it and, as with Sway earlier on, the small audience that Goose initially began with soon grew.

The climax to Radio Soulwax’s evening is Reading festival favourites 2 Many DJs, who again like Coldcut need no lengthy introduction as to who they are and what they do; but for those of you still unaware (and shame on you) 2 Many DJs are most famous for fusing bootlegged tracks into eclectic dance sets, which span vast and various genres of music from early nineties dance to brit-pop classics. Like true masters, 2 Many DJ’s cater for the Reading crowd by creating a dance set that fuses in a rock element into the mix. The set is an excellent party soundtrack to celebrate a weekend of quality music, as well as a weekend of enduring camping in sometimes challenging conditions. However, as with the other headline acts throughout the weekend, the set was cut unmercifully short, as security pulls them off the stage a minute past their curfew, which rather pisses all over the party atmosphere. One can only hope that next year Mean Fiddler invest in later license to prevent this from happening again.