Undoubtedly one of the most talked about and hotly anticipated events of the summer, Circo Loco In The Arena had an unprecedented amount of expectation to live up to. Having already established itself as one of the most successful and forward thinking club nights in Ibiza, the ‘Crazy Circus’ returned to Digbeth in Birmingham for another dose of DC-10’s best Balearic offerings, with such talents as Seth Troxler, Maceo Plex, Kerri Chandler and David Squillace taking to the decks, amongst many others. With several thousand punters descending on the Rainbow venue throughout the course of the day, this was destined to be one of those ‘special moments’ of 2013.
As promised by the organisers, last year’s congestion problems when entering the venue were eradicated, while an increased security presence seemed to suggest everything would run smoothly; and indeed it did for the most-part. Kicking off the day was a rather unannounced shuffling of personnel, with Matthias Tanzmann easing into his mid-afternoon set in place of Italian favourites Tale Of Us. With the beaming sunshine and booming sound system, it was Matthias’ job to get the rapidly increasing crowd on side; a duty that he performed faultlessly, slipping in tracks by fan favourites Breach and Hot Since 82. It was then up to Tale Of Us (better late than never!) to play their pop-inspired catalogue of Techno-esque bangers.
Emerging in his typically comedic fashion was the familiar smile of Detroit pioneer Seth Troxler, who took to the booth at 19:30. It’s startling how talented this guy is. Sickening. A daring set filled with the most left field genre-defying records you could expect, it was actually alarming to watch someone mix Afro-Caribbean House into Breakbeat into 2-Step on Vinyl, and make it look and sound like the most natural thing in the world. In terms of breaking down barriers and perception of what is considered ‘dance music’, Seth just always finds a new way to reinvent his record collection. The best act of the day without question. With the bar set high, the ever impressive Ellum Audio boss-man Maceo Plex certainly had a tough act to follow, but drawing upon his plethora of dance-floor killers, it was his own ‘Galactic Cinema’ and his remix of Ali Love’s ‘Emperor’ that really stepped things up. The Spaniard is certainly one of the hottest DJs in the world right now, and his ability to read the crowd is second to none, backed up by his impeccable track selection.
One felt a certain degree of sympathy for Madhouse veteran Kerri Chandler, who had to contend with a dwindling crowd as the rain began to pour down on Digbeth, with a proportion of the crowd seeking refuge in the nearby sheltered warehouse. Despite this setback, Kerri drew upon his breadth of experience and wowed us with his eclectic collection of old school anthems in what was arguably the hardest set of the day. At around the time of the final changeover, word began to echo around the puzzled and slightly nervous crowd that ‘there had been a shooting’. The bars closed, areas were cordoned off and security were evidently panicking; but despite this, the arena remained open while all other areas were closed down, and Police began to swarm the venue. Potentially unaware of what had happened, David Squillace continued where Kerri Chandler had left off, although the atmosphere had become slightly subdued as the word spread that the victim of the attack was in a critical condition.
At 01:00 the event closed down as planned, but with no after-party to attend and rumours of a Sunday cancellation, the swarms of people exiting the site were left somewhat disillusioned: no one could have accounted for the way things unfolded. What must be made clear, however, is that this attack is in no way affiliated to Circo Loco or the house music scene in general. Unfortunately, the mindless behaviour of a select number of idiotic individuals has led to widespread disappointment amongst ravers, promoters, organisers, DJs and, most of all, the residents of Birmingham. If circumstances were different, I’m sure people would have walked away having witnessed one of the most unique and pioneering events on the UK dance calendar…
Words By: Charlie Burley (@Ledesko)