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[Report] Footworxx vs Suburb Soundz

After a collaboration with Liberty White last year, Suburb Soundz teamed up with Footworxx for an intense edition in Brugge’s Entrepot (recently renamed Factor). As if that wasn’t enough, a third area was added under the “Therapy Sessions” moniker. This led to the first (to our knowledge anyway) party with three areas in this location, which was very exciting. Of course, both organizations are known for their quality line-ups, and none of the three areas left anything to the imagination.

It was pretty hard figuring out where the third area would be, as we had never experienced a party in the Entrepot with more than 2 areas. Adding to the confusion was the fact that, originally, the drum & bass area was the second in line. However, in the timetable, this area was mentioned last. Since the previous event (Mental Breakdown vs Mindfuck) presented the second area upstairs across the balcony from the toilets, we went there first. Upon hearing tracks like “Primitive” and “Industiral Cooking Spray”, we were convinced we had found the Therapy Sessions room. But it soon became clear this was the schranz area, as Chok Dee was behind the decks.

For some reason, this area had a bigger audience than the main one at that time. It seemed to turn into a pretty quiet night at around 22.00. Anyway, we really needed to find that drum & bass area, so we returned to the entrance and asked a staff member for some directions. Turns out, the third area is at the youth centre Comma above the entrance. To get there, you needed to head towards the toilets and take the door to your right, then go left again. It might be a good idea to put up some signs next time, as our first impression was that someone had just left a door open to a room “for authorized personnel only”.

On to the opening set in the drum & bass then. Newcomer (correct us if we’re wrong) Nidrevium played some heavy metal-infused drum & bass, but topped it all by dropping “Medico – Substance Dependence” on the unsuspecting crowd. He was one of the greatest Mindsaw-producers, who we haven’t heard from since. Not to mention this was the first time we heard this track at a party. Thumbs up! The sound could have done with some improvements though, and Gonzo immediately fixed that. Even better: he played lots of Lowroller and Outside Agency tracks such as “Industrial Cooking Spray”, “Among Us”, “Mixbreed Soldier”, “Bad To The Bone (Lowroller Remix)”,”Donny – Life” and “Limewax – Space + Time”. And for some people this was definitely a plus: no Mc Dart yet!
Current Value was the first of the big names. He started out with “Sacrifice”, a collaboration with Scandinavian ice-queen Björk. Not really a fantastic result, in our opinion it could have turned out much better. Somehow the vocals just didn't match the music. We never thought the day would come, but now even Current Value has succumbed to the lures of dubstep-horror… check “For A Hundred Summers” on Section-8 Dub. As for the older, harsher stuff, the only real example was “Symptomless Coma”. Maybe we can expect a somewhat harder set from the German hero at Therapy Sessions Antwerp, and by all means let’s hope so!

Ruffneck played a killer industrial / crossbreed set with tracks like “Times Like These”, “Vows Of Doubt” and “The Outside Agency & Seizure – The Pacifists” in the main area, which was by then packed with people very appreciative of this special set. There was no mainstream whatsoever, proving Patrick definitely understood the concept of Footworxx. 

Upstairs, Technical Itch played a rather empty, monotonous set with some excitement when the Limewax–oldie “Everything” was played. The area was quite empty when we arrived, and could never be revived by this performance. The Sect was up next, and since we’re not really a fan of his work, we went looking for eye-candy in the schranz area where Daniela Haverbeck was playing next. The beautiful Deejane had already been dancing around the Therapy Sessions area to Technical Itch’s beats, which proves her love of different genres.

The closing set in the drum & bass area was in the hands of Katharsys. This time, we were very surprised by the harshness of his set. Think “Nanotek - Incarnate” ,”Donny – Your World”, “The Watchers” and “My Favorite Sin” to name a few tracks which ended our evening in style! It turns out, the quality of the set can be dependent on which half of the duo is behind the decks. After getting the last beers, the area closed and we said our goodbyes. 

Despite the huge I Love Techno event being held not all that far from Bruges, the harder side of techno proved its appeal and made this event into a stunning success. Adding a drum & bass area only added to the fun, and it was obviously worth repeating. Next up is Therapy Sessions, also supported by Suburb Soundz, while Footworxx has drawn the huge Raving Nightmare concept to Belgium for New Year’s Eve. Good times!