Mareh 2017: Five key performances

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  • There's no place like Mareh. Each year, headsy DJs set off from their homes in Europe and the US, often on Christmas day, on a long journey to a remote beach paradise in the Brazilian state of Bahia. The past two years, that paradise has been Cumuruxatiba. World-class sound systems are erected by the gentle waves and the air is filled with birdsong and disco string arrangements. Everything moves at a relaxed pace. 2017 felt like a transitional year for the New Year's gathering. The bookings were more diverse, with DJs often dipping into underground house alongside the festival's foundational disco and Balearic sound. The crowd was younger, queerer and perhaps more well-heeled than ever, while established Brazilian party crews like Selvagem and Gop Tun were noticeably absent. The festival also wasn't without its logistical issues. Several boat parties lost power at sea, set times were malleable and some key sets, such as José Padilla’s New Year’s morning appearance, fell short. Still, my third visit to Mareh came with plenty of memorable moments. Here are five key performances from across the eight days.
    Mark Seven The Stockholm-based artist is one of the deepest and most meticulous DJs out there, known as a "selector" well before the term came into fashion. Just a couple hours after I arrived in Cumuruxatiba, he and I rode up to the picturesque cliffside for the first of Mareh's two largest parties. This year, the main stage setup reflected the indigenous heritage of the site; the festival's organizer, Guga Roselli, even invited local tribes to sell their wares at the two main parties. So there I stood on tribal land talking to Seven about his early days collecting records and playing acid house in London. All around me, young people who had flown in from São Paulo, Rio or further afield milled about on the beach. When I first heard about Seven, it was from DJs like Hunee, who spoke about his deep knowledge and pristine mixing style. I've seen him a couple times in Los Angeles, but it was a pleasure to see him lock in for an extended set zig-zagging through obscure boogie, Italo, new (Around 7's "Let'Z Rock") and old (Kings Of Tomorrow's "Fade II Black") house before saluting the dawn with Azura's "Paraíso '89."
    Delia Gonzales I've spent many hours listening to the music of Delia Gonzales. The records she made with Gavin Rayna Russom presaged the kosmische revival that persists to this day, and she continues to make sublime solo records for DFA. Still, I had no idea what to expect from her DJ set at the Resident Advisor boat party. "I've never seen her DJ," I said to the Swiss artist Lexx, who was also scheduled to play. "No one has," he replied. There's a simple reason for that: Gonzales hadn't DJ'd in about a decade. She told me about her upbringing in Miami, her current home in Athens and her equal footing in the art and music worlds. This narrative came through in her set, which included Miami booty bass, New York underground disco and and some spaced-out synth music. As Gonzales doesn't normally DJ, it wasn't the technical tour-de-force of Mark Seven or Lexx, but she was obviously playing from the heart. Her son, who'd accompanied her to the festival, managed to concentrate on his Harry Potter book even as the 150-strong crowd grew looser and louder, flailing along to her tunes.
    Idjut Boys The Idjut Boys' five-hour set on New Year's Eve was one of Mareh 2018's most anticipated performances. After all, Dan Tyler and Conrad McDonnell are some of the progenitors of the dubbed-out disco style that is the festival's stock and trade. While many back-to-backs can feel like a polite conversation, the Idjuts, currently three decades into their partnership, were having a tug-of-war. McDonnell went hell-bent for leather, dropping The Units' "High Pressure Days" early on, while Tyler parried with sweeter, disco-leaning selections. And back. And forth. They played everything from flamenco guitar to Seu Jorge's cover of David Bowie's "Starman" to Fleetwood Mac. Finally, with the sun climbing, they played the hits, McDonnell leading a massive singalong to John Paul Young's "Love Is In The Air."
    Vincent Floyd The walk from Bar de Praia (the beach bar where DJs played most nights) to the hotels where most of the DJs stayed was about 20 minutes down a pitch-black road. Chicago dream house legend Vincent Floyd told me about it. "I'm from Chicago, I feel like I'm a pretty tough guy, but that's one of the scariest things I've ever done," he said after arriving at the small outdoor club. Floyd seemed bewildered and grateful to have dispatched the Windy City winter for Cumuruxatiba. Starting out his set with some harder-edged house, he quickly made like Ron Hardy, winning the crowd over with pumping edits of Musique and Loleatta Holloway.
    Joutro Mundo On New Year's Eve, Brazilians flock to the beach to make traditional offerings to the sea goddess Yemanja, to jump in the waves and make wishes for the coming year. This year, Mareh tapped Brazilian music expert Joutro Mundo for the pivotal midnight set. Mundo, who compiled the well-loved Brazilian Boogie & Disco compilations, took stock of Bahia's central role in the country's musical history and slave trade, making easy connections between African tunes like Akendengue's "Epuguzu" and their close Brazilian cousins. Around midnight, he delivered a poignant one-two, dropping Luiz Melodia's tearjerking ballad "Pérola Negra" before easing into Gilberto Gil's "Andar Com Fé," a hymn of gentle persistence in the face of fate. "A fé tá na maré," rang out Gil's voice. ("Faith is in the tide.") A couple hundred feet below, festivalgoers carried out simple rituals in the shallow water. Photo credit / Felipe Gabriel
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