Nuno Dos Santos, label head to Something Happening Somewhere (SoHaSo), left Europe to make a 48-hour cameo appearance on the West Coast of Canada, entrancing Vancouver’s favourite rave-cave, Open Studios, all night long two Saturday’s ago.
The night was ripe and dancers were eager for music. Although still technically summer it felt like fall; a healthy dose of rain had slicked the pavement adding volume to hair and layers to bodies. People were packed into the off Main Street venue, clad with drinks, waiting for the headiner to begin. Bobbing and grooving to the laggy, rolling bassline in John Talabot’s Pressure Dub remix of Marie Davidson’s ‘So Right’, the room felt the energy shift immediately as Nuno’s opening track unfolded, and the night took off.
Following this he introduced a track with soaring synth pads and a twinkling soprano melody, one that softened the edges of the previous staticky bassline and showcased his talent as a record selector. From there he played a little bit of disco synths, and a little bit of 90’s acid, until Palms Trax’ Dub Mix of ‘Girlfriend feat. Dam-Funk’ brought an unmistakably electronica vibe, lightening the mood and lifting spirits. Playing to the crowds more emotional side was Morven Son’s track ‘Looking Back’; a moody and melodically sound deep house track with an edgy breakbeat rhythm and a lengthy breakdown which acted as the perfect conduit into the both cheeky and emotional vinyl only ‘Untitled’ by Pional, released on Marvin & Guy’s ‘Equation III series. Notable artists whose tracks he showcased are Kiani & His Legion, Younger Than Me, and Joannes (his forthcoming track on the SoHaSo label, no less), incorporating sub-genres that included House and Deep House, Techno, Indie Dance/Nu Disco, and the odd breakbeat rhythm. Nuno’s final track, a vocal and rhythmically heavy track by Brazilian group Barbatuques titled ‘Baianá’, capped the night off perfectly, providing an appropriate downshift in tempo and uplift in spirit, captivating the room until the lights turned on.
The night was a well-crafted series of tracks that fueled the transfer of energy from artist to crowd; each partaking in the give and take needed to sustain the symbiotic relationship, for the room was surely alive that night. Blundering bass beats drove the music to the harder end of the Leave Us Lost sound spectrum, but his technical skill, the guest’s emotional response to him and his undeniably groovy and percussion rich tracks made Nuno Dos Santos a perfect fit.
Impressions by Tess Daniella
Torture the Artist 