T in The Park: The Slam Tent
Detroit's big hitters Jeff Mills and Derrick May are the standout names on the Saturday night
The 12,000 capacity Slam Tent makes most other large-scale dance events in Scotland look tame in comparison. 2006 marks its tenth year at T in The Park, with ten artists performing on each day. Any regular to Pressure will recognize most of the guests but there are a few bonuses too. Detroit's big hitters Jeff Mills and Derrick May are the standout names on the Saturday night, banging out their fast and classic Detroit sounds. On the same bill but with half the experience is James Holden from his super-successful Border Community label. Expect some of his much-celebrated fresh, digital techno. As usual, the 'tent-owners' Slam will be on guard with their usual crowd-pleasing mix of house and techno.
There are plenty of live acts to get excited about, from the ching-fuelled sounds of Vitalic to the smiley, ambient vibes of The Orb. Early doors music will come from D.J. E.A.S.E and the Nightmares On Wax Soundsystem providing the lazy and happy summer grooves for the smokers. Electro-pop Aussies Cut Copy have just finished a DJ Mix for Fabric blending electro styles with experimental rock. Their live show should sit well alongside a DJ set from Damian Lazarus and the tongue-in-cheek electro geeks Modeselektor, a duo who have their moments of brilliance and madness.
On Sunday, we kick back with heavy funk and games from Mr. Scruff and Radio 1's Rob Da Bank on the nostalgic 7s and 12s. Then the Subculture residents Harri & Domenic provide a deep, speccy house and techno soundtrack to bring you back up to speed. Compulsory afternoon viewing comes from Galaxy 2 Galaxy and Los Hermanos. If you missed their brief UK tour last year, get a grip and don't make the same mistake again. More a funk band than anything, this crew have proved themselves to be one of the most meaningful techno acts around. Sunday has more live acts with Laurent Garnier performing material from last year's dubious and ambitious cinematic and experimental album 'The Cloud Machine'. Joining Laurent will be Bugge Wesseltoft on keys and big-cheeked Phillippe Nadaud on the sax. On the other hand, if your mates prefer to sing along to all the tunes then take them to watch Optimo and 2 Many DJs and make up your minds as to who are the best genre-busters. And finally, the chunky and cheeky Felix Da Housecat serves some electro-kitty treats for the horde of Tennents-swigging, sunburnt dancers.