There is something assuredly alluring about a mid-week gig. It provides respite from our ever so exhaustive daily chores & routines; it attracts genuine purists and fans of the genre and sound style; and more than often, it provokes artists to dig deep into their classical roots and churn out beautifully choreographed and curated mixes, that last a lifetime. Nic Fanciulli is nothing short of a legendary ‘classical‘ DJ. He has been curating mixes, that when stitched together make a unique and inspiring journey, creating a transition into the Underground realm that is intuitively flexible and immediate. After almost two months of waiting, ever since the peeps at Submerge Music first announced the Ultra Resistance Presents Around The World Tour with Nic Fanciulli, we finally had the man – the legend – bestow his phenomenal dance-making skills forward, leaving us with a night full of melody and memories.
The Venue
The stage concept for ‘Resistance‘ lays emphasis on underground music entirely at UMF, with Nic Fanciulli taking the concept global. Covering 8 cities in the span of just 10 days, this mega-tour included the city of Mumbai. Hosted at The Blue Frog, the Ultra Resistance concept found itself the perfect launchpad for its unique and innovative concept. The team at Submerge kept proceedings sleek and minimalistic at the venue, with some intriguing stage light production. LED strips that often changed color to reflect the moods of the sound styles, illuminated the decks and the artist whilst he was performing, while a single laser montage circulated the RESISTANCE logo. This combined with the regular light & sound apparels that Blue Frog Mumbai is known so well for, created an apt setting for the perfect mid-week performance. The dancefloor took a little time to reach maximum capacity, as the mid-week gig attracted like-minded individuals engrossed in discussions and debates, but once the peak hour anthems started to settle in, everyone ushered onto the center to get a better view of the spectacle unfolding.
The Music
Known as one of the most respected names in the Dance Music industry, Nic has always maintained a humble and down to earth approach throughout his career. Bearing a strong connection to his hometown of Maidstone and its people, the iconic DJ-Producer has bought the best music to and from his hometown putting it on a global platform. His natural playing style is that of the classical DJ approach, where he weaves a journey through his sets, rather than dropping anthems or chart toppers. Centered around Tech & House, his sets push through sound genres of Deep House, Deep Tech and Progressive, as he builds his sets towards a sonic utopia. Assisting him on ‘Resistance‘ duties for the Mumbai leg was none other than Brute Force team member Tuhin Mehta. Tuhin, known for his equally expressive and dancefloor-centric sets, provided the perfect start-up for Nic to build around. From the moment he stepped onto the decks, a smiling and beaming Mehta unleashed the surrealistic melodies and pounding basslines from the world of Tech House. With tracks like Manna-Croup‘s ‘I See You On A Dancefloor‘, S69 & Krista Richards‘ ‘Can’t Quit (Daniel Beasley Remix)‘ and the magical Philip Bader & Niconé‘s ‘LXBD‘, Tuhin Mehta kept the energy gradually elevating towards his crescendo. The crowd steadily built up on the dancefloor as they continued to groove to Tuhin’s carefully selected offerings.
By the time Nic Fanciulli arrived onto the decks, Tuhin had offered a slice of what’s to come though his fantastic Tech House warmup. The crowd was insatiable, cheering on the team of Nic & Tuhin as Submerge Director Nikhil Chinapa presented the former and welcomed the latter onto the decks. From the very onset, Fanciulli‘s set lived up to all its hype as he transitioned from the Tech House flavors of Tuhin Mehta into a more Deep sound with Metodi Hristov‘s ‘Step Outside‘ and Cinnamon Chasers ‘Magic Lover (Hypnosis Version)‘ and then quickly onto a more Tech flavored ambiance with tracks like the tribal sounding Kydus & DJ Dep ‘Cala El Verano‘, the infectious Ruffneck‘s ‘Everybody Be Somebody(Lucas & Steve Remix)‘ and the enchanting Mark Fanciulli‘s ‘The Tide (Joris Voorn Edit)‘. Fanciulli seemed to be sitting in control of a time machine as he effortlessly moved from tracks that were upto a decade old and back to new releases with the narrowest of transitions! A true visionary as he kept the audience on their toes and hips in motion.
Past midnight, it would be forgiven if you thought you were at Blue Frog on a weekend! The dancefloor reached seemingly maximum capacity, as Nic Fanciulli swiftly shifted gears, moving over to Deep House and Tech House, grinding out some really devastating dancefloor anthems. With massive dancefloor centered tunes such as Traumer‘s ‘Hoodlum‘, Oxia‘s ‘Domino‘ and the absolutely fantastic ‘Rollox‘ by Adriatique, the visuals and other light FX came in a full on show, as the energy escalated to all new level. Fanciulli was truly the master in a territory of his own, urging even the Submerge team members to take onto the Dancefloor themselves!
The beautiful melodies continued with artists such as Stefano Noferini, St Germain and Nic Fanciulli‘s very own iconic remix of Hot Natured‘s ‘Benediction‘ on display. Perhaps, one of the best moments of the night was when he dropped quite unexpectedly, Cirez D‘s legendary ‘On Off‘, that seemed to echo around the venue bringing any last members hanging around the bar into the center. But that was just not it! The surprises continued to unfold as Nic went on to unveil the very special ‘Hey Now (Sasha remix)‘ by London Grammar before seemingly bringing his set to a close. But the audience hadn’t had enough and they cheered on for an encore. And out come unfolding Caribou‘s ‘Can’t Do Without You (Tale Of Us & Mano Le Tough Remix)‘! The beautiful vocal rendition had everyone grasping onto their friends and loved ones as they cheered to the melodic bliss they were submerged in. And encore after encore followed, which lead to Nic unleashing the best surprise of the night. Bassline kicking in and the drum beat ushered in to ring in that familiar robotic vocal of ‘Around the world‘ by Daft Punk! Perhaps symbolic in nature, given his tour is named in the same way, the iconic track split the Dancefloor wide open as those funky disco sounds still can move the sturdiest of stones on the dancefloor! And after yet another encore, Nic played down the final highlight of the night, a Michael Jackson track! ‘Billie Jean‘ was supported et-all with the right visuals of Michael moonwalking and gliding along to one of his most famous hits, as Fanciulli showed that true Dance Music is truly boundless when it comes to sound style and genres.
The Vibe
Like we mentioned earlier, the mid-week gig did not prove any hindrance to bringing out the best party people forward. The purists were joined by the enthusiasts in a proper Underground education as Tuhin Mehta and Nic Fanciulli offered the best of their services, making it one of the most epic and legendary nights of the season yet! Just the sheer spectrum of music that was touched in one night that spanned atleast two decades, the audiences lapped up all the great music and good vibes, as the Ultra Resistance tour sparked something closely hidden and waiting to be discovered. A beautiful night of many memories and fantastic music to take back home. Looking forward to his return and more Resistance ventures in the future.
Special thanks to the Submerge Crew for a fantastic event!
Review by Hamed Khalidi
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