Jeff Mills Live at Avalon

Techno music is no longer a dirty word with the return of Jeff Mills to Avalon this past Saturday. I arrived expecting the usual 'bridge and tunnel' mob for a regular weekend night out... But this one was different. There were the regulars squeezed in queue among international househeads from different cultures and backgrounds. There was no doubt that his longtime fans had returned.

It was intriguing to find Jeff's following consisted of Israelis, Brits, Asians, African-Americans and Latinos. I met one trio of mates who flew in from the UK specifically for Jeff's appearance. They last heard him at the Bath Music and Homeland Festival eight years ago earlier. Another was a young couple from Chicago who drive 800 miles two days earlier to see him. I was witness to this cultish following that exists largely outside the US techno mainstream.

The last time I was in this club, I was trapped between the vaulted ceilings and the metallic atmosphere. Not to return since the last days of Angel Melendez and Michael Alig, I was surprised to find an impressive and functional decor. The Big Room is where I found the packed dance floor. Glancing in slow motion five floors up, where there were more clubbers hunching over 3 tiers like spectators at a sports arena motioning and waving to the vibrations coming out of the speakers. Several times I leaned over and spied on the sea of humanity below. The crowd seemed to move and jerk in unison to this master's wizardry. With his techno devotees dancing in the aisles, it was a task just to make my way to the DJ cockpit.

He displayed a peculiar play list. Offering original futuristic orchestral tracks mainly consisting 131 to 135bpm range, he was able to keep the crowd speculating. Although his rotation was spotty at times, he often fulfilled their intuitive requests. With his form rapid and steady, he alternated between razor sharp techno to the bouncing basslines of progressive tribal. By the expression of his face working three turntables, there were no time for tea & donuts. I started to drift off and daydream of the old Limelight back in its heyday ten to fifteen years ago. It was one of the only places in New York where one could find true specialized hardcore techno DJs. Having spread his techno abilities to Germany and across the rest of Europe, he displayed the preparedness for this event. Jeff Mills has taken techno in its purest form and placed it in the Limelight tradition.