Electrostatik

Last weekend caught the return after a six-year touring absence of Sun Electric. The German electronic duo were playing the third anniversary bash of DJ Darko's Statik Dancin' night at Recyclart here in Brussels. The guys, who I was lucky enough to meet backstage, recreated the sound of albums such as Kitchen with a completely different set of equipment - Apple Mac laptops. The enjoyable set, which the band explained was something of a work in progress, included a couple of new tracks, and was well received. Hopefully some more shows and recordings will follow.
Also performing live on the night was Thomas Fehlmann, the veteran Berlin-based ambient and minimal pioneer. Fresh from revatilizing the sound of The Orb on the latest album, Okie Dokie..., Fehlmann showed his mastery of the full frequency range in the course of an hour-plus set, shaking the walls and drawing a great reaction from the packed venue.
Darko bookended the whole event, opening proceedings with KLF's classic 'ambient house' album, Chill Out, and ending the night with floor-filling IDM. As well as being one of Brussels' hottest DJs, Darko also runs the record label, Lucy Lee. The first release on the imprint, back in January 2005, was the Steal This EP by the ultra-cool French band, The Penelopes (who, check September 06 in their diary, appear to be managed by Jean-Marc Barr, ffs!). Last month, the Penelopes' debut album, The Arrogance of Simplicity, hit the racks, and very good it is too: an engaging mix of contemporary dance sounds, 80s goth rock and hints of Pulp, Stereolab and Nick Cave. A chic look and the patronage of the likes of fashion designer Agnes B could see The Penelopes joining the likes of Air and Daft Punk in crossing over to a hip Anglophone audience.