Wax:On 8th June with Ivan Smagghe, Sebastian (Ed Banger), Man Like Me.... Wax:On – Fri June 8th - Newcastle Wax:On kick off the summer club season with a spectacular line-up that has rather a large hint of the tricoloure about it. The invasion of the French is back on, and Wax:On are at the forefront of this Gallic explosion. The second generation of artists and producers from our inimitable cousins over the channel have shook the world of rave, better still the entirety of music as we know it, spawning new musical genres all the time. There’s mutations of the vibrancy of electro with the crash of rock, the marriage of the hard edged industrial with the groove and swagger of acid house, all defined with the same panache and flair that marked out Daft Punk, I:Cube and Laurent Garnier in the last decade. The nation has seized the initiative and rapidly become the new standard setter in modern electronic music, and Wax:On has fused together a line-up which showcases these musical manoeuvres to their greatest potential. For the headline slot, Wax:On welcome the sensational Sebastian for his Digital debut. Sebastian is quickly becoming one of the leading lights in the Franco revolution. Signed to Pedro Winter’s Ed Banger label, Sebastian has quickly gained notoriety with a clutch of progressive minded and rave centred productions which have detonated dancefloors everywhere from Mumbai to Mansfield. Receiving support from luminaries such as Erol Alkan, Annie Mac, Tiga and Zane Lowe, Sebastian is quickly establishing himself as the producer du jour for the rave fraternity. His DJ sets are equally as mind-blowing and perfectly suited to the rigours of the monstrous Funktion One. Joining Sebastian is none other than Ivan Smagghe, the Parisian uber-lord who manages to balance the fine line between the seedier superficial side of Paris dark musical underbelly, and the integrity which characterises musical dedication. Ivan’s projects add up to a considerable level of magnitude within dance music; the stunning Kill the DJ club night and consequent compilations alongside DJ Chloe, the irrepressible Volga Select productions and of course his Black Strobe partnership with Arnaud Rebotni, who have an album due for release in June. Smagghe as a DJ is something else, blending a mesmerising array of dark, devilish techno elements to an instinctive understanding of the groove which beats at the heart of house music. He’s genuinely a unique proposition on the dance floor and well worth the considerable hype that falls at his feet. Local night Deviate take over room 2 with act of the moment Man Like Me, fusing delectable live riffs and street beats into a cacophonic pulsating orgy of aural pleasure. Already one of the ones to watch in 2007, a meteoric start to the year continues to accelerate and it’s massive news to have this guy at Wax:On. Hot in support are the Wax:On home-grown superstars, wonky disco freaks People Get Real and the funk fiend TC Monckton, whose respective riotous concoctions of ital drenched boogie fodder and bolshy break-led bombers will kick-start the party. Wax:On Fri June 8th @ Digital, Times Square, Newcastle, NE1 4EP Sebastian (Ed Bangers) Ivan Smagghe Man Like Me Live People Get Real TC Monckton Deviate DJs Preamptive VJs 10.30pm – 4am £10 Nus and Members / £12 others Info – 07747 150056 www.waxonuk.com
