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posted 10/02/09 03:57 PM | updated 10/02/09 04:36 PM
Featured Post! | Views: 28 | Comments : 0 | Music

A Decibel Recap from a Barely-Recovered Attendee

By donte
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It's now almost a week after the fact and I'm only now starting to feel like myself after the whirlwind of last weekend's Decibel Festival.  Venues all over Seattle were overtaken by thousands of ravenous electronic music fans from places both near and far in this, the festival's sixth edition. Despite the requisite behind the scenes drama inherent in an event of this scale, Decibel was a musical and social success, pleasing enthusiasts from all across the electronic music spectrum and providing an opportunity to see members of the "techno family" that don't frequent the scene like they used to. There was even a wedding (featuring Decibel founder Sean Horton - congratulations!).

Here are my pics from the weekend.  You can view more pics in the Decibel Festival 2009 Flickr Pool.

From a weekend so filled with wonderful moments it's hard to pick any particular set of highlights, but if I had to pick a top three, I'd have to call out the following:

  • Friday night at Neumos. Minimal techno godfather Rob Hood proved that he was nobody's opener by treating the Capitol Hill venue like he would a seedy Detroit warehouse, banging out an early collection of tracks that was impossible to follow. Frank Bretschneider had that unfortunate role, made even more awkward by the fact that he was replacing Alex Under, one of the few last-minute cancellations (Visa issues). The German Wighnomy Brothers closed things out with a set peppered with American classics. 
  • Saturday afterparty at the Church of Bass. Local Pezzner set the stage wonderfully for the second year in a row, before Martyn laid down a set of perfect...everything. From house to techno to dubstep and back again, Martyn really played everything, and it all worked. Move D kept things going in fine fashion, and Voodeux gave people plenty of reason to stick around until after 5am (myself included).
  • Sunday afterparty at the Electric Tea Garden. After an epic weekend, what better way to burn off any remaining energy than with yet another afterparty? Mozaic (half of Hookerz & Blow) kicked things off by tranisitioning from laid-back deep house into more techy territory, before NYC's Derek Plaslaiko rocked the party like only he could, moving from squelchy acid into Prince. By the time it was all over only the diehards remained, calling out for even more despite the beginning of the work week.

If you missed out last weekend, don't fret. You've only got a year to wait until the next Decibel. Don't make the same mistake.

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Tags: decibel, festival, music, techno, dubstep, house, electric, tea, garden, neumos, pezzner, rob, hood, sean, horton, martyn, move, d, wighnomy, brothers, derek, plaslaiko, church, of, bass + add tags
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