CityLife

Eat My Beat, Sex With Robots, Louis La Roche - Roadhouse

Tamer and Alex

Life is all about getting the right combination. Safe crackers have known this for years, but it’s a lesson some in clubland could do with taking on board.

Occasionally, double-headers of such wildly inappropriate incompatibility are billed that you wonder if the promoters just picked blithely from some sort of lucky dip when they were assembling the night.

Often the problem is trying to marry genres that go together about as well as Tae Bo and arthritis: how many times have you been to a club where the main room rocks to pumped-up indie while a solitary scene-o guest spins Taiwanese crunk-core to 12 people and a coat in room two?

It is, however, possible to cross-pollinate without confusing, diluting or making a complete mess of your genre policy.

Contort Yourself pulled it off last year, shrewdly inviting a series of like-minded and apposite nights to collaborate in the depths of their Newton Street rave cave.

Another pair of well-matched bedfellows is Eat My Beat and Sex With Robots, the latter of which, like CY, is also based at the Roadhouse.

They’re teaming up to co-promote a full Manchester showcase for filter house whizzkid Louis La Roche tonight.

“We’ve known each other a few years and have similar tastes in music,” says Tamer Rustum, the promoter behind Eat My Beat. “We’ve DJ-ed at each others’ nights and often both appear on the bill for other events.

“So why not do an event together? Co-promoting also takes a bit of the load off too as I can make Alex stand out in the cold at night giving out flyers!” he laughs.

Tamer is speaking about Alex Barbanneau, aka Oscar Wildstyle, the driving force behind Sex With Robots and entirely amazing electropop outfit Modernaire.

Barbanneau’s reasons for wanting to collaborate are less selfish.

“It’s a good way to reach two different crowds with an event that appeals to both – and you get a wider variety of music across the night,” he says.

“I also like doing events with the Oldboy [Rustum’s DJ alter ego] because he tends to go overboard on the party juice and finish the night playing East 17 or something, and then we end up at a house party until the next afternoon.”

'Great atmosphere'

Before all that, the pair will be welcoming La Roche to town for his debut headline slot. The teenage French house obsessive (real name: Brett Ewels) has won myriad early support, with the Guardian even placing his name alongside the likes of Cassius and Modjo.

“I’ve wanted to put him on for ages,” says Barbanneau. “I’ve loved all his productions and remixes. I’m a big fan of the French house sound and I think he’s got a really fresh take on it; it’s more like disco or pop than straight up house.

“Also, he’s still really young so it’s great to put on someone early who will probably go on to much bigger things.”

The last Eat My Beat/Sex With Robots co-promotion was at The Chapel in Fallowfield, currently the scene of The Chapel Experiment (or Operation Convince The Council The Club Works).

What do Tamer and Alex think of that venue and how does it differ to tonight’s?

“I like the Chapel, although I think they need to paint all the inside black as it looks a little bit like a school disco at the moment,” says Barbanneau. “It’s a good sized space close to Fallowfield that could really work as that area needs a real club as opposed to bars.

“The only challenge with the Roadhouse is you can’t fit that many people in it so it limits the acts you can put on, but the flipside of that is there’s always a great atmosphere.”

“It’s smaller but that makes things more exciting,” adds Rustum. “And it’s got a nice soundsystem.”

So our promoters are in agreement about venue, booking and musical policy; but what about dream guests? If they could put on anyone in the world, who would it be?

Alex is resolute: “Prince or Daft Punk,” he answers instantly, if somewhat ambitiously.

Meanwhile, Tamer offers some even more implausible choices. “Michael Jackson,” he jokes.

“Failing that, I’d have to settle for a Take That V East 17 sound clash.”

Eat My Beat and Sex With Robots present Louis La Roche on February 26, 2010 at the Roadhouse, Newton Street. 10pm-3am. £3/4.