- When I first saw the lineup for Wild in the Country, I envisaged an evening under warm summer skies listening to the finest that electronic music had to offer. Well, I got what I asked for in the music department, for the most part, but unfortunately the weather, much like Damian Lazarus’ set, was pretty grim. The rain and the mudbaths between tents put a huge dampener on the mood. People were walking around this festival as if each step might be their last. Slip and you die a muddy death. A pain in the arse for those who came to show off their latest trainers. But those who brought wellies could have fun. And feel smug.
What Renaissance did have control over went well, mostly. The three massive tents were spacious, and well decked out - the main tent even had a giant white chandelier. The sound was spot on, there were good facilities to get food and drink, and the fairground rides got turned on, despite the grim weather. It was left up to the artists to deliver the goods, and with the stellar lineup on show, expectations were high.
Luciano was on early in the Wild Arena. I'd managed to catch him at the DC-10 opening party a few weeks before, where he was relentless, but tonight's set was a total contrast. He was subdued even, no doubt due to the early timeslot (He was booked to play later at the End that night, too). No high-octane bass rumbling tonight, instead he played house, including some pretty devastating jacking stuff such as ‘Alcoolic’ by Popoof and a new remix of Cevin Fisher’s classic ‘Freaks Come Out’. Like any good DJ would, he varied his style to the occasion. Those expecting techno might have come away disappointed, but on its own terms Luciano's set was very much up to his recent high standards.
Over to the main arena, where Sasha and John Digweed were teaming up. John played for the first hour, Sasha the next, and then they went back to back for two more. It was good to see Sasha in the UK - his recent projects keep him from playing at home as often as his fans would like. Together Sasha and Digweed were solid, with notable tracks including Renaissance classics such as ‘Age of Love’ and the very tasty ‘Bladerunner’ by Remake. Sasha was also noticeably on point spinning solo, playing a hint of the epic progressive style which has made him so revered.
As expected, Underworld were quality. They played their classics, but in the first half hour they also ran through some new material, which suggested they'll be taking a more refined tech house direction on their forthcoming album. Visually, the show was emphatically not an Underworld spectacular, with the only visuals on a big screen behind the band, but with Underworld, the energy tends to come from lead singer Karl Hyde himself, and in that respect he was true to form. But then again, when you have tunes like ‘Born Slippy’ and ‘King of Snake’, the visuals are secondary.
The disappointment of the night was Damian Lazarus. It was a festival, and when you have a peaktime slot, your job is to keep the energy levels up. Not so here. Minimal to the point of having no direction or intensity, this was not what people wanted to hear. Thankfully Ricardo Villalobos lifted the mood with the final set of the night. He played deep, but he also played it straight, reading the crowd well and skipping the leftfield experimentalism in favour of accessibility. He even played a few classics, including Lil’ Mo Yin Yang’s ‘Reach’, which raised a few eyebrows.
After all that euphoria daylight broke and it was back to real life. And then the sun even came out. The weather gods were mocking us. And although the rain tried its best to dampen the mood of the event, the vibe throughout was superb. It was great to be among the reaction for Sasha & Digweed and Underworld especially. Walking home through the mud, it even seemed like the summer vibe had well and truly arrived.