So this past weekend, what a weekend for little old Perth! Such a bevy of international acts graced our doorsteps – there was too much to choose from! I didn’t join the throngs enjoying the traffic jams down to Bunbury for Grooving the Moo, but some of the Empire team did. I count myself one of the luckier ones who got to stay in town and Friday night saw me head out to Villa for AC Slater.
AC Slater (Aaron Clevenger) a country boy originally from West Virginia, now a resident DJ of Brooklyn, New York, solidified his name in our music scene after his performance at Parklife 2010 received rave reviews. And now he’s back (and so soon, thankyou Boomtick!!) and the past couple of weekends have seen AC Slater travelling our fair nation on a seven stop club tour, as well as participating at the Groovin the Moo festivals in five of the states!
Straight from the DJ’s mouth, in an interview with inthemix.com about his club tour and Groovin the Moo festival dates, AC Slater said “I’m so excited for it; I know everyone says it, but really, Australia is probably my favourite place to play. The energy you get from the crowds there is basically unmatched, I find. I feel like a lot of people in Australia are hungry for new music, so it’s perfect for me”. And this energy and eagerness to share his tunes with us Aussies transcended his performance on the decks at Villa.
Personally Villa is one of my favourite venues in Perth, it was purpose built to host up to 700 party-goers and has affectionately been dubbed as one of Perth’s own super-clubs. It certainly wasn’t at its full capacity, with a jam-packed weekend many kids had headed down south to GTM or to see the equally acclaimed international artist Joris Voorn playing a set at Geisha. But for those who (myself included) like their house/electro as full-bodied as it comes, AC Slater has a surprisingly fresh take on the usual beats we hear repeated every weekend with the addition of some hip-hop and rap; and not even a less than capacity house was going to tarnish a great night ahead. And to sweeten the deal, local talent Jus Haus, Micah and JS were support for the boys from across the water, like always they didn’t disappoint and provided a great couple of intro sets to get the crowd amped up.
AC Slater pumped his dance-floor beats strong enough to get anyone moving, and the set included his well-known and well-loved tracks such as ‘Jack Got Jacked’, ‘Take You’, and ‘Party Like Us’, though his very eclectic style definitely showed through with him constantly changing the tracks up, his love for hip-hop and R&B showcased as well as rave and dance. AC Slater was supported by 26year old Brit, Mumdance (Jack Adams) who is no stranger to Perth, and definitely brought his own to the table. Mumdance is quoted as ‘bringing different sounds and cultures together’ and this is the best way I can describe his music to you, an array of musical genres and influences culminate in creating a very unique sound, all with a great bass! He knows how to keep a party crowd happy; and these two incredible DJ’s made for an extremely fun night!
Unfortunately I am photographically challenged, so no photos from the night by Empire – but if you are keen to jump on the already pretty full band wagon, you can check AC Slater out at his MySpace or website, and equally talented young gun Mumdance has a great MySpace and webpage worth a look!
Words; Rosie BS
AC Slater
Pacific Vibes
