South West Four 2008

United Kingdom | by Nick Bruce | 01 September 2008

Well, with consistently incredible line-ups and ticket sales that can best be described as stratospheric, the Clapham-based mini fest is probably the hottest dance event in Londoners’ calendars. And let’s face it, we all deserve a bit of fun after such a rubbish summer weather-wise, don’t we?
 
Boasting a return to the stage for techno supremo Carl Cox, along with Ibiza fave Erick Morillo and trance gods like Sander Van Doorn and Armin Van Buuren, the organisers of SW4 seem to have come up trumps, so it is with frantic anticipation that we enter the fray and head straight over to the Time Out stage to check out Andy Moor, one of the world’s top 30 DJs and tireless tourer of clubs all over the world. Already the party is in full flow, with Moor spinning the sort of house and trance which, on a day like today, could make even the coldest ice queen melt. Trance-heads bound around amongst us as Moor takes his set through a whirlwind of trance classics juxtaposed with his own re-mixes and beats. A very impressive set from a guy who, at the age of 28, is still a spring chicken, and a very exciting artist on the scene.

A huge fan of the club anthem 'La-La Land' we make a bee line for the Global Stage to check out Green Velvet, formally Cajmere, formally Relief, formally…you get the idea. Playing some truly twisted electronica, Green Velvet’s sound is like a dive into a swimming pool of LSD topped off with a Tequila: intoxicating and so very, very wrong, you simply know it has to be right. Punky, jumpy, biting house which forces you to jump away from the ground as it shakes down to the earth’s core, the Global stage is like Krakatoa on a bad day as hands go in the air for anthem after anthem.

A walk over to the Time Out stage and we are plunged head first into the searing house that is the work of Dutch maestro Sander Van Doorn. Tracks like 'Grasshopper', 'King of My Castle' and 'Riff' are the type of tunes which shake the very foundations of clubs all over the world, which of course they have. From Ibiza, to South America, to Australasia, Sander has torn apart venues brick by brick, and there is no doubt he would  do the same here: so thank God Almighty that we are outside without the fear of falling objects. Sander is relatively new on the scene but has already carved out an impressive career with loads of play-time, and his set today is truly awesome: gut shaking, eyes-wide opening, and epic.

As the afternoon continues and develops into the beautiful rainbow of eclectic music everyone hoped for, we head over to the main stage to catch the likes of Layo and Bushwacka!, Fedde le Grand, and a trio of massive headliners. John Digweed, having stormed the festival last year, returns with a main stage set, and as one of the most influential DJs and producers on the scene – he has helped launch the careers of countless names on his Bedrock label – his is a set that promises a shed load of magic to the thousands of fans who now cram around the main stage. And he doesn’t disappoint, with a blistering hour of unpretentious, earthy, thumping house. A true original, Digweed knows how to make the punters happy, and I end up on the shoulders of nearly every person around me (by the way, apologies to the guy dressed as Spiderman whose chicken hat I nicked for half an hour). Have you ever seen what 20,000 people looks like? It’s pretty incredible.

Erick Morillo is a force of nature on the dance music scene. As curator of Subliminal Records and Pacha in New York, as resident on the White Isle and collaborator with every cool person under the sun, he cuts a wholly ethereal figure behind the decks. He’s not the tallest bloke in the world (but with all that cash, why would he need to be). His set, and his sound, is massive. At other festivals, Morillo has been accused of flicking on the auto-pilot switch but here, as the sun starts to set behind a glorious horizon, auto-pilot has been put on hold. Throwing out the massive tunes like they are bread to the poor, Morillo is feeding the thousands like it’s second nature. He, like any uber-DJ, knows every button to push (auto-pilot not included), and whilst there are a few who – for whatever reason – are not dancing (get with the programme guys!) – Morillo proves why he is the number one house DJ on the planet. He talks to the crowd, beckoning him to follow him, and like some diminutive Pied Piper he takes everyone on a journey through the sort of music which would make a non-believer reaffirm their faith.

In contrast to Morillo, Carl Cox is the behemoth of dance music, his sound a synthesis of everything from dub, drum n bass, breaks, house, electronica: all original, progressive and as enthusiastic as the man himself. Cox behind the decks is unmistakable; a vast, dominating, sweating fist of pure musical energy, a massive grin on his face as he jumps up and down to the tunes he is unleashing on south London. The guy is a headliner in every way, and a superb addition to the SW4 stable of main stage acts.  The self-proclaimed “King of Clubs”, Cox is magisterial today, commanding over his audience a power that is beautiful and utterly captivating. His music is gourmet, high-class, transcendental, ensuring that everyone is wrapped up in the artistry of the set, and indeed the day. SW4’s success is its ability to put on massive names whilst ensuring that one doesn’t feel lost in the numbers that such names demand: there is happiness and friendship everywhere. There’s originality and enjoyment in every aspect of SW4: in the music that is played by the acts in the tents and on the stage; in the way the festival is arranged, and most, importantly, there is originality and total enjoyment in every single person who has decided to turn up. The best decision they’ve probably made all year.