Touch of Loft at Club77 August 2019
A night of dancing, abstract music, live didgeridoo performance, visuals, huge disco ball and curtain covered dj booth, captured in it's purest element. Dark, candid, intimate and carefree.
I became resident DJ and artist at the local label and party brand Touch of Loft in 2018. Since then, when they put on a party you'd usually find me behind the turntables spinning dubby selections in the first half of the night. This time though instead of playing, I ended up behind the camera.
I took the opportunity to capture what Sydney's underground music and clubbing culture is to me, or at least what I enjoy most about it. It is rarely about how drunk and lit the crowd got, how full the dance floor was, how fired up the artists and DJs were. There are many moments in between that make nights out memorable for me.
The selected photos from the night are dim, hiding most of the medium sized but somewhat cosy venue. It's thanks due to it's layout, decorations and and carefully placed lighting that it achieves this. The biggest light source was the projected imagery reflecting off the curtain which covered the DJs.
The subjects are framed by surrounding objects and people bringing more attention to each individual. I wanted to capture people's expressions as they watched, danced and got lost in the audiovisual experience. Whenever the patrons aren't in the photo, I'm capturing their view. Whether it's the projected art, on the massive curtain at the front of the booth or the artists themselves in their element. Sometimes from afar through the heads in the crowd, sometimes up close as if you were watching with full attention experiencing every second of the show.
When you notice the sweat dripping down Tribal Freque's face as he intensively breathes into his didgeridoo playing along to fast-paced music he composed, you really start to feel the power behind his rhythms. When you notice the focus of the DJs as they carefully select the music surrounding the main performance, you surrender to their flow and trust them to lead this journey. When you notice people really experiencing the 'art' of the party, connecting with it and each other, in the safe space for expressing our true selves, you start to see the true purpose of these nights for our culture.
