DEXTER, The Orange Rooms :: Wessex Scene Online

DEXTER, The Orange Rooms

23rd January 2003
Russell Wood

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Jan 03 - GILLES PETERSON, Orange Rooms, 05/12/02
Jan 08 - Gig: Bloc Party at Alexandra Palace
Jan 08 - Battle of the Bands
Dec 07 - NOFX live at Brixton Academy
Nov 07 - Gigs: Athlete at Southampton Guildhall

More by Russell Wood

Dec 02 - Dance- Andy Smith
May 02 - looking good!

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Grandmaster Flash describes Dexter as ‘the most creative and original DJ in the world.’ High praise indeed from one of the people responsible for the birth of mixing, and I’m not one to argue. Dexter is an integral member of The Avalanches, and the turntable technician behind the cut and paste acrobatics of their Frontier Psychiatrist. He came second in the 2000 DMC World Mixing Championship, and was very unlucky not to win. In a competition obsessed with technical precision, his set was a breath of fresh air, foregoing the often abstract scratch routines in favour of a real party atmosphere, cutting together everything from The Beatles to AC/DC.

The Orange Rooms had been kitted out very nicely for the evening, with widescreen plasma monitors dotted around the place showing close ups of the mixer so that Dexter’s swift hands could be admired by all. After a typically enjoyable warm up from local boy Defikew and a quick mixer change, Dexter came to the decks. He opened the set with the start to his [*] DMC [*] display, beat juggling the opening riff of Purple Haze before seamlessly easing into some upbeat be-bop jazz, with accompanying scratches.

Eclectic might be an annoying overused word, but it’s the only suitable adjective for Dexter’s set. After Snoop’s W-BALLS skit and Still D.R.E., he tore through everything from salsa to reggae to electro, playing off the crowd reactions and bouncing along to the beat. No one seemed to be enjoying the music more than Dexter himself. His enthusiasm was extremely infectious, filling the dance floor and creating a great atmosphere.

After getting the crowd in the mood with contemporary hits from Outkast alongside classics from the Jackson 5, Dexter shifted gear and launched into a rapid mix of rock and ska. This isn’t usually the sort of thing that a DJ can get me dancing to, but it was executed with so much energy that I was left with little choice. Dexter finished the set with a blistering drum & bass mix which would put some of the big name DJs in that field to shame.

For the obligatory encore Dexter spun a little more drum & bass and the pure funk of Mystikal’s Shake Your Ass. From the huge reaction it had garnered earlier in the set, Dexter rightly adjudged Roots Manuva’s Witness to be a crowd favourite, and he played this again to an ecstatic crowd.

It might seem like an insignificant touch, but the fact that Dexter maintained such a close affinity with the crowd made all the difference. At one point, a member of the audience was so pleased to hear a 45 spun that Dexter threw it down to him after he’d played it. It’s really refreshing to see a DJ have such a rapport with the crowd, as so many are happy to trade off their name and remain aloof, spinning a few records and picking up the pay cheque. The atmosphere, combined with a selection of tunes that was as excellent as it was varied and a DJ with bags of skill made this one of the best sets I’ve ever seen. Simple as that.

The Orange Rooms continues to draw massive contemporary acts which belies its comparatively small (though happily cosy) size. The Visionfunk promoters have DJ sets from the likes of Groove Armada, Doves, David Holmes, Koot and Zero 7, as well as live music from Fingathing, in the pipeline. And with ‘something very special’ planned for the bar’s second birthday in April, The Orange Rooms is cementing itself as the prime venue for cutting edge music
in Southampton.