Review of Phil Kieran

Having legendary tracks under his belt such as Sky Hook and I think Im a monster, he has been on the scene for well over a decade and regularly collaborates with good friend Curtis Jones (aka. Green Velvet) as well as having a history of collaborators which would give you goose bumps. Ive had the good fortune to meet Phil several times already, initially interviewing him in 2007 when he released his Shhh album on Cocoon records and Im delighted at the opportunity to pick him up from the airport and wine and dine him.

As he jumps into my banged up Citroen, I remind him of the first time we met 6 years ago. That was a bit of a dark time for me, he says and I think thats reflected in the music. Personally, I found it much lighter to some of the darker tracks he produced in the early days, for example Alloy Mental a shouty, full-on, pounder, produced by the band of the same name, which Phil headlined (circa. 2005), Thats something I dont even think about anymore, he muses, Ive evolved and grown so much since then. But what has he evolved into? He recently released his first album under the guise of Le Carousel. In this project, Phil works with several band mates to construct an eclectic collection of music, far more laid back than his previous work - Le carousel is my Wife, Techno is my mistress? he boldly claims as I ask him how he feels about my take on his new album. I ask him to elaborate! Ive put a lot of my heart and soul into it (le Carousel), I consider it to be a life-long commitment. Techno is something else, its late-night, dark and dirty, and its fast and hard.

I am a huge fan of Phil, so taking him out for dinner, pouring red wine and gin down his throat and listening to his hilarious, yet sometimes a little bit weird, recounts of the underground techno scene is a fantastic way to spend my Friday night? However, we soon realise its getting late, the restaurant is closing and its time to mosey on to the main event. Playground.

A team of nine make up the Playground production team, their main objective is to bring out your inner child. We arrive just as resident DJ, Dance Armstrong is finishing his set, We walked in at 10.30 and it was off the scale, full on techno, reminded me of the Orbit!!? one reveller shouts at me as I wait at the bar. The music is only one part of the experience, a huge amount of effort has gone into staging the club, with Climbing frames, Rocking horses, and random playground paraphernalia adorning the stage and dance floor creating an almost sinister feel, if it wasnt for the 200 strong crowd, crammed into the main room cavorting, writhing and sweating. As the Autophase Liveset starts, the crowd gets denser, a lot of people have come just for this, I love Phil Kieran, but since the first time we saw Autophase play at Gottwood, we?ve been massive fans and would travel most places to see him someone chimes in as I head to the front. The music is complimented by incredible visuals created by Wilson Logan. Both Wilson and Autophase have developed exclusive productions just for this and it breathes a buzz into the air, something spectacular is happening tonight.

Phil comes onto the stage to an ovation of cheering and applause, he plays non-stop for over four hours although he was only meant to be doing 2! Working the crowd into a frenzy, he plays big-room, big-sound pounders. My highlight? New Order Blue Monday, a Manchester classic. Everyone loved Green Velvet Flash, and of course many of his own, outstanding productions were a huge success. His high spirited, animated DJ style, energises the crowd and there?s many sad faces when he is forced to call it a night and turn off the decks. Good set? I ask ?I loved it? he grins as he packs up his CDs.