Spazio Disponibile at Shelter Amsterdam "It's like a snake eating its own tail," said one of my fellow dancers while I was taking a break from dancing in the hallways of Shelter. The image makes perfect sense when I think about the hours I just spent on the dance floor. Neel and Donato Dozzy's deep and heavy sounds were endlessly reproducing themselves without becoming monotonous. Steady but never boring.
The event, billed as a Spazio Disponibile night, had been shrouded in mystery. The lineup included some "very special guests," which caused some interesting tension on Facebook. For some, the element of surprise was annoying or even pretentious, while others held strong opinions about the need for an "anything goes" mentality at club nights.
I agree, it's frustrating to miss performances because of no timetable. I got to Shelter too late for a live hybrid set by Marco Shuttle, my disappointment only exacerbated after someone described it like "putting your head in a dryer." But a certain amount of mystery also asks the audience to surrender to what's in store. Because Shelter is a basement venue with only one dance floor, everyone became fully immersed in the music. Time and space dissolved in a way that might not have happened with rigid set times and multiple rooms.
Where Donato Dozzy and Neel's other joint project, Voices From The Lake, explores softer sounds, at Shelter they stuck to the rougher side of the spectrum. I was told the set was hybrid—part DJ, part live—though it was hard to see exactly what they were doing through the mountain of gear. The music was as hypnotic live as it is on record, their minimal techno recalling early Dozzy productions from the '00s. Finding track IDs was impossible.
Ultimately, that bit of mystery might have been exactly what the night needed. All the DJs had to work hard to keep the audience's attention, helped by the club's smooth, high-definition soundsystem. By stripping away any extravagances, Spazio Disponibile showed that minimal techno needn't be dull or repetitive. On the contrary, their tight, captivating tracks felt like they could roll on forever.
Photo credit /
Nil Calvarons
from RA - Event Reviews Resident Advisor
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