Magdelene Jude Tan
Hailed as one of the most successful deep house acts from the UK in recent times, Disclosure made their much hyped debut appearance at Zouk on May 18 to an overwhelming full house.
It’s not hard to figure the hype. Their debut album, Settle, has garnered critical acclaims from the likes of Pitchfork, LA Times and MixMag. The magnetically nuanced single “White Noise” is now synonymous with the dynamic duo, after shooting straight to #2 on the UK Singles Chart a fortnight after the album’s release.
The Lawrence brothers, Howard and Guy, came on 2 hours after resident DJ Jeremy Boon’s eclectic opening set. The crowd comprised of a mostly happy mob of chilled and dressed down adult Caucasians, a welcome change from the usual and younger hipsters.
Audiences who heard Disclosure’s Pitchfork set were expecting the same gleefully contagious live set later that night, if not more. Alas, the expectations fizzled with the opening mix, “Help Me Lose My Mind”, which was wretchedly watered down to weak body wiggles from the dance floor.
The DJ set was not tightly mixed and the dreary lulls in between saw many disgruntled timeouts during the first hour resulting in a stressful and stifling mosh pit more than a chilled scene.
Thankfully into the second half, the Brit lads’ charm gradually infected the crowd with more familiar tunes like “When A Fire Starts to Burn”, “Latch” and “F For U”. Guy was perpetually focused on the turntable while the younger Howard looked more relaxed, often swigging beer good-naturedly and smiling affably for the audience.
Picking up on the good vibes, the entire floor erupted into rhapsodic chants of “I’ve been infected with restless whispers and cheats / That manifested in words and lies that you speak” with their hands up in ode.
“White Noise”, ever the electronic earworm, blazed into the wee hours, sending every party goer, pop culturist and hipster dancing to its catchy and playful grooves.
Despite the crowd control issue and stuttering start to the show, the fresh-faced debutants in the house scene atoned with a much better showing later. After all, Disclosure’s youthful piquancy is the nucleus of their appeal and they have proven they are more than just white noise in the background.
Additional Info:
We disclose other similar-sounding hidden gems.
1) zhu
Pig out on the buttery smooth sounds of the mysterious, unidentified UK producer with his latest entrancing hit – “Faded”.
2) Gorgon City
Gorgon City is a UK electronic music duo and their single “Ready For Your Love” will get you in the groove.
3) Peking Duk
Sounding as good as it tastes, the Australia electronic music duo dishes out “High”, which peaked at #5 on the Australian ARIA charts.
All photos courtesy of Zouk Singapore Facebook Page