Carl Cox in Lebanon

[DIONYSOS]

[align=center]"Life is too short to remain unnoticed." (Salvador Dali)[/align]




[align=justify]If one DJ knows how to get noticed, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to assert his presence, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to get the crowd pumping from the very first beat up til the very last one, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to build a set up in energy without the slightest step back, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to fit tracks perfectly together, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to tweak the Allen & Heath mixer to its optimal performance, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to hand-select basslines apt to vibrate the smallest cell and the largest hall equally, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to contaminate the crowd with a mere smile (and split teeth), that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to MC without sounding like Vanilla Ice, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to have the maximum amount of fun while performing highly advanced mixing techniques, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to be one with his music without forcing his moves and acts, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ knows how to make you scream his name from your cut throat, that DJ would be Carl Cox.
If one DJ merits to be crowned "the clubbers' God", that DJ would be none other than the one and only Sir Carl Cox.

Last night was exhausting, and I honestly can't remember when was the last time I danced that much... then again, I don't believe I have ever danced that much in my entire life.
How long was Carl's set? 4 hours long? Then that would be how long I danced. That would be how long every single entity in Biel danced.

The man has a way of playing music that just makes you want to moan.
At times it makes you'd want to pump your fist in the air (to borrow a dear member's catch phrase since no other expression gives more right to the act).
At times you'd want to test your body's capacity to leap upwards.
At times you'd want to stand still and draw that careless little smile on your face.
At times you'd want to scream louder than a spacejet on launch.
At times you'd want to tilt your head to whoever's beside you, even if you don't know the person, just to express how intoxicated you are, and if no one's there you just smile at your awkwardness to then resume your fist-pumping duties.

It's not dancing...
It's not raving...
It's not tripping...
It's something beyond all of that...
It's something much more animalistic...
It's responding to your most archaic instincts of aggression...
It's aching in the abyss of your little existence and savouring every moment of it...
It's nodding your head so ferociously that your skull would crack wide open and you wouldn't even notice...
It's banging your foot against the soil until your shoes are worn out, your socks are torn, your skin is scratched, your bones are bruised, then banging it some more with that other foot, even if it already has served its term...
It's virtually raping the space around you with not your flailing arms, but your flailing corpse...
You know what it is?
It is Techno music.
That's what it is!

It is not music that you raise your hands in the air to...
It is not music that you dream off in another world to...
It is not music that you groove or just dance around to...
It is music you unleash all your buried rage to.
It is music you exhaust your body's stamina to.
It is music you beat your next door neighbour to then torch his annoying Chiuaua.
It is music that pushes you to physical extremes that you knew not existed, as you are reacting to every beat with every organ you possess, mindlessly agitating your extremities to those perverted sounds until you run out of breath, but running out of breath means that you'd have to stop raving, so you find an alternative to breathing, any alternative, just something that will keep you away from dropping dead, for at this point dropping dead means not losing life but losing that distinct sensation, that urge to bounce, that drive to rave, that push to leap, that instinct to pull your broken hand out of the meaningless lower air and pump it, pump it, pump it so hard in that meaningful upper air until it gets numb, but you don't feel it's numbness because it's already broken, and you don't care about the pain because you're going to end up dead anyway since you can't breathe any longer, so you keep pumping, and you keep jumping, and the DJ keeps hammering, and he keeps pounding, and for a split second you'd tell yourself "stop" then you'd tell yourself "stop!" again because you're telling yourself to stop, so you don't stop, you can't stop, you don't want to stop anymore, you just want to surrender to the music, and you do, and it overwhelms you, and it captivates you, and it rapes you, and it throws you against the walls, then bangs you way up to the ceiling then back to the dancefloor, and this is when you realize the meaning of it all, this is when you come to grasp the essence of this DJ's task, this is when you comprehend what his sole mission in life is, this is when you understand... Techno.

Carl Cox is not a human being.
Carl Cox defines what it means to be a contageously insane musician who spreads his disturbed vibes easier than Santa Clause spreading Christmas presents.
Carl Cox does not climb on stage with a record bag as other DJs do, but with a whip with which he will slam every thirsty clubber with the twisted bassline that the sickest depths of his mind craves for.
Carl Cox knows not the word "mercy", but only the word "torture".
Carl Cox may only be defined as thus: monstrous.


I usually set my review's progression in concordance with the night's progression, but every once in a while comes along a DJ that is pre-destined to shatter traditions apart using the most lethal of all weapons of mass destruction - music. But to render justice to the other components that made this historic night in Lebanon's clubbing agenda, focus needs to be temporarily shifted away from the legend Carl Cox onto a few observations:
- The venue was simply yet beautifully designed: a massive dancefloor for the Regulars, a seperate yet not too distance arena for the VIPs, giant posters of Carl's profile hung down from the ceiling with the biggest of them facing him, monitors spread around the entire place to showcase the visualizations, multiple bars, and two DJ stages that were pretty intimate with the crowd given their proximity and minimal height.
- Why two stages? Because as soon as maDJam wrapped up his warm-up session and it was time for Carl's bald head to nod, the former's DJ stage was surprisingly "slid" away sideways on what seems to be a train rail; a very cool and innovative exit idea, especially with how maDJam hilariously waved goodbye as he was rolled out.
- The sound system witnessed a drastic improvement as, despite the heavy bass consumption of Techno, the deeper levels of sound did not overshadow the higher peaks, and all the elements were heard loudly and clearly, in what is perhaps MixFM's and Bacardi's finest sound installation to date. The light system wasn't too impressive this time though with just the basic stuff, but it wasn't bad in any sense at all either.
- The crowd was impressive. I was expecting considerable tunrover as the night progresses, given how hard and edgy Carl's sound tends to be, and how our scene is perhaps not yet ready for such aural intensity, but our crowd exceeded my expectations and sucked up every wave of sound transmitted from those vinyl emulators. Just as Marquis perceptively noted: "It is tonight that our scene is truly blooming, and that is to a large extent because of our hard work".
- The warmup by none other than the multi-talented maDJam lived up to the very high expectations I always allocate to this guy. Track selection was refined, mixing skills were unmatched, crowd interaction was unparalleled, and overall evaluation was nothing short of a solid 10/10, on the same standards scale that one of the region's most talented DJs has gotten us used to.
- Alas, I was not able to attend the followup set by Gunther & Stamina despite promising the latter to do so in return to him promising Psychedelic Trance, but for those who know how much of a PsyTrance freak I am will understand that I wouldn't have missed it for the world were it not for compelling reasons... sorry again guys and I hope to get to see you perform soon enough!



All in all, it was a truly memorable night, a night that will go down in Beirut's history as witnessing the highest level of energy yet to be reached, one that will only be overcome by John '00' Fleming perhaps. As usual, raving with fellow THerz was a blast, and always succeeds in making the night even more enjoyable. A firm success by MixFM & Bacardi, and we are awaiting the next. Until then, keep blasting those insane Techno grooves up dangerously loud until your pitiful ears go deaf![/align]

[Icepick]

Yesterday was a magnificant night in the history of Lebanon 3 great Djs and the Legend Carl Cox.
Setup was just amazing the lazers lights and other equipment.....
Music was absolutely great. maDJam had an amazing warmup, i loved the end of it a lot.Carl Cox no need to say how was the set but it was just breath taking.Gunther& Stamina rocked the place, although before the affter set the crowd was asking for an encore, but Carl Cox never came back with one.

but here is what i found unpleasing:
1.security members were just screwing around with people to the max. .
2. the stilt walkers and the monks(or something like that) where just useless. the stilt walkers showed lack of ethics through the show they used the do through the crowd. two men on stilts and two girls on chains, and the show was just awful( the way it went on )....
3. the sparkes from the fire works where plain annoying to the maximum, i was standing in the front row, when they moved the bars to the front for Carl Coxs set fireworks where exactly above the crowd burning their t-shirts faces and necks ( my shirt was totally destroyed) and my neck was all black spots.

But overall the gig was just amazing, and no one can deny it.......

[haig]

all the night up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up up

[TRANCExual]

[trancematic]

[s u h a]

[T.R.A.X]

[JAD]

I'm serious Saleem, Carl Cox read that review! It has to be sent to him in some way, because I re-lived the night, you described every word perfectly, it's like you were in my head, and that's why us clubbers are the same, we unite in these events. For fucks sake, I leave every event making 200 friends.

As for Cox? Words can't describe.. it's one of those feelings of pure joy...

[shhhoff]

[s u h a]

[Icepick]

[mzy]

[shhhoff]

[Baby Mandie]

[s u h a]