Better Than: Medieval heat torture.
The Review:
Candyland, the hyped-up party of the year, was NOT what I expected. In previewing the party, the New Times was told that the party was to be, “the best of the best.” Therefore, I was anticipating Disneyland fireworks. I have seen Culture Productions do much better, I have seen Voodoo do much better, and in its 12th year anniversary, this party was not up to par.
At around 12 o’clock, the time I arrived, the only room that caught my attention was Rodman’s Rehab. It’s the room to the side of Voodoo Lounge. Chino was terminating his Drum and Bass set as I stepped into a fiery sauna of hell. It was incredibly hot and moist in there, not to mention the extra heat emanating off the few people that were brave enough to dance under those conditions. I began to perspire before I came close to the stage to see Lemon D begin and M.C. Madd continue. In fact, Madd, an up-and-coming Laundry Bar commoner, MC'd through about 3 hours of different sets, if not more. He free styled throughout the night. Even though no one could understand what he was saying, as is the case with most Drum and Bass M.C.s, his persistence was impressive. Whether it was due to dedication or uppers, he managed to liven up the room a tad-bit.
Once the sweat on my forehead began frizzing my hair, I decided it was time to get out. I headed to the main room, where Krafty Kuts was performing, and I could not seem to get into the music. So I headed to the back of the club, and I still wasn’t moved. The music was all sounding a bit cheesy. After a while, I went back to Rodman’s Rehab to stick it out until AK1200. To soothe the torturous heat, I walked to the bar to get a bottle of water. Unfortunately, the limit for debit cards is $20. Call me cheep, but I was not going to buy 4 bottles of water, and it was way to hot to drink alcohol. So I asked for a cup of ice. “No!” said the girl at the bar, quite rudely I might add. I sucked it up and watched AK1200 for a while as he remixed some old school tracks. But since sweating is not an activity that I like to do outside of the gym, I left to go check out Jackal and Hyde.
Upon my midnight arrival to Voodoo, Jackal and Hyde was the best performance that I had witnessed. Now, don’t get me wrong, I did miss a few acts, and surely, Rodman’s Rehab had some good Drum and Bass, but it was too hot to bear, at least for this princess.
Like other break-beat acts in Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, Jackal and Hyde delve into dark sound. Their live-set included synthesizers and a dancing girl in a gas mask dressed in skimpy PVC. For those that don't know, PVC (Poly-Vinyl-Chloride), is a shiny fabric found in much gothic and fetish attire. Even Hyde, was dressed in semi-gothic fashion. In fact, Jackal and Hyde have performed live with Gen of the Genitorturers, so obviously their style, much like their music, has an industrial feel, along with the heavy bass of break-beats. It’s like being a beat boy, getting trapped in the dungeon of a beautiful dominatrix, becoming aroused as she beats you, and then being inspired to make some music. However, once the dancer on stage started sweating on me, my Hypochondria began to kick in, and I felt it was time to go.
Critics Notebook:
Personal Bias: Culture Productions and Voodoo Lounge have been known to throw some awesome parties and I’m probably going to get a lot of heat for this (no pun intended) but I gots to keep it real. Ya heard. It’s not to say that the party wasn’t awesome in its heyday, but we’re in the cash-money millennium where it’s all about selling the scene, not having one.
Random Detail: Parties shouldn’t only be about getting smashed. They should be about an all around euphoric musical experience, even before you get smashed.
By The Way: Swinging flashing lights around in the form of a figure eight is NOT dancing. It is annoying, it is hard to maneuver around, and it pisses me off.
-- Lucy Orozco
