Skol Beats 2008

So I thought I'd share some thoughts about the most traditional Dance Music Festival in Brasil, which took place last weekend, or, more precisely, on Saturday, the 27th.
Just like the year before, I took the bus from the subway station, and boarding was really orderly and quick, unlike previous years. Nicely done! I got there a few minutes past 10 pm, and, to my surprise, there was no line. It didn't take me more than 5 minutes to get in, including the 4 minutes I had to walk to my gate, which was kinda far. And what a sight! The lights, Terra Stage and everything, and I was excited.
Went straight to the Main Stage, where I met some friends and caught the final 30 minutes of MixHell. People everywhere semed to be really enjoying it, which is good, 'cause the couple was all blog-house, kuduro, some mashups in there, very hipster-esque. Oh, and might I say - SO MUCH BETTER than last year. That stuff was embarassing.
And then, darkness filled the stage, then a little smoke, and the curtains opened up for the bright shinig cross and the two 3 X 3 Marshall stacks. And hell broke loose. For about 20 minutes or so. Yup, I went to a Justice show, and that's about all I have to say on it. It was good. And just that. Everything resembled the album too much. The fake modular synths and stacks (which are there only for decoration / lighting purposes and, as such, work to devastating effect) eventually got to me and I felt a little sad. I understood their criticism, and I'm not sure I'm in line with it. But it must be said - Phantom and One Minute to Midnight sound SOOOOOOO much better on stage, it's like a whole different experience.
After that, got something to eat (again, no waiting, decent service, good prices) and thought it was time to treat myself to some San Francisco House, available in large quantities, with extra groove, from Miguel Migs. That's proper House, just the way I like it, and it made me reconsider some musical choices I've made this year. It's that "going back to my roots" feeling that I can't shake off. Renato Cohen followed, starting with a Disco feel to the whole thing (cherry on top - Tricky Disco, which is on my latest set) and turned it around and took it to some soundsystem-busting Techno. Good thing he was there to champion that sound, thin on the ground in festivals around here now. I left about an hour into his set to see Digitalism, only to wait for about half an hour. Their show was plagued with problems, and that obviously got to them - looked nervous, apathic and even got mad at the crowd. I won't comment much, as technical difficulties really ruin peoples humors. I just wish everything had gone OK, as they're one of my favorite groups right now, and are quite apreciated everywhere. Better luck next time. Angello and Ingrosso, Swedish House Mafia, were quite good and fairly obvious. Lots of vocals, Toca's Miracle (which I own both a whitelabel and the first outing from Positiva in actual record), and, frankly, I was expecting more cutting edge material, given their remixes, production, and the people they hang out with.
One thing was very clear to me after this festival - the gap from the Top End International DJs and our local favorites has narrowed, if it even exists anymore. And we CAN put together a large, professional dance-oriented event, second to not many out there.