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Galactic Ents promoted a pre-Christmas bout of merciless ear splitting beats, as DJs Jaguar Skills and A-Skillz descended upon Cowes Yacht Haven on Saturday night.
Adam Mills, aka A-Skillz, appeared immediately at home on a stage decked out with New York style traffic lights either side and colossal speakers that boomed intoxicating bass as a soundtrack to a vibrant light show.
Lean cuts
A generally upbeat set seamlessly blended various genres and generations of music, with a crystal clear emphasis on breakneck tempo for the most part.
Lean cuts of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’, a Wu Tang Clan medley and an accelerated adaption of Inner Circle’s ‘Bad Boys’ were unapologetically punctuated by sedate samples, such as Eurythmics classic ‘Sweet Dreams’. These shifts provided a hefty dose of spontaneity, on which the foundations of the mix were founded.
Jaguar skills
As the sub-headliner, A-Skillz constructed an ideal platform for the evening’s star turn, Jaguar Skills, who took to the stage adorned in customary ninja mask, with his identity a secret to all but his closest backstage allies.
An opening stanza that included Kriss Kross’ hip-hop anthem, ‘Jump’, had the dance floor rocking and sweat flying freely in the stifling conditions.
Joshua Troop’s ‘Clap your hands everybody’ was another popular selection, causing the Yacht Haven for a time to resemble a badly timed Mexican wave, with the superstar Disc Jockey conducting the congregation to adhere to the lyrics washing over them.
A flavour of retro
The big screen behind the stage offered a touch of nostalgia for fans of retro gaming, with scenes from such legendary console titles as Street Fighter Alpha and Mortal Kombat taking place in tandem with the tracks.
The highlight of Jaguar Skills’ near two hour set was a vibrant mesh of electronic dance duo, The Prodigy and Pendulum, which gave way unexpectedly to Candi Staton’s ‘You’ve got the love,’ providing another welcome twist in the tale.
More indulgence than innovation
Unfortunately, a seemingly interminable interpretation of Fatboy Slim’s ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’ doused some of the energy in the room with its monotonous overkill.
The song has been mixed a million different ways since its release earlier this year, with this inclusion ostensibly accommodated more through indulgence than innovation.
Thankfully, once that segment was finally completed, Jimi Hendrix was on hand to reheat the atmosphere – ‘Voodoo Chile’ still remains a fresh sound, more than 45 years after its release.
Accessible setup
Also of note was a second dance area on the venue’s balcony, which offered an alternative for those wanting to cool off a bit. The electro-swing on offer afforded a pleasant contrast to festivities indoors.
This was an impeccably organised event that provided decent value for money at £15 per ticket. A hit list encompassing several decades of towering harmonies reverberated through the core of the arena in a way that fully justified the pre-match hype.
Despite being sold out, such was the accessibility of the lay out that it never felt overly crowded. The night unfolded into a tribute to the British DJ scene that had even the stiffest body popping by its climax.
A-Skillz 
Jaguar Skills 
