Soulwaxmas – Brixton Academy, London 16/12/10

Both Soulwax and 2ManyDJ’s reputations precede them: famed for their charging vitality and pounding dance accreditations, their live shows are unflawed and raging. In a festive return to the capital they brought their beats and status to Brixton for a three night residency: Soulwaxmas. Alongside Zombie Nation, Zongamin, Busy Pictionary (Busy P and So Me), Mixhell and Paul Chambers (alt-lineups throughout); the stale principles of the exhausted Christmas party are now obsolete, fucked.

Arriving at 9pm, Brixton’s haul was vague; people tepidly dancing to Paul Chambers, clutching to the false promise of a weekend. We drank, danced, separated from the next group and the next group after that. Friday morning would always be a heavy weight on whatever happened. It wasn’t until half ten took its turn and sobriety was a fading notion, alongside Friday, that the night found its lust for loud sounds and even dirtier strikes.

The flux between technology always threatens: how hard, fast and fierce electronic music is. Soulwax arrive with no tension; their confidence dressed in blanc-white suits. With empirical experience and unique precision, they know what they’re doing. It’s only the blinding, head-fuck of a light show that eclipses their totally well-deserved smug faces. Brixton isn’t this cold mid-week shell of a venue: it’s aggressive, breathless between song-on-song of Soulwax’s signature bass-led electronics; deep and belabored. The show’s heartbeat – its pulse – never stops; minimal-talk reciprocating by clever, astute mixes between fresh and ancient tracks. Closing title ‘NY Excuse’ leaves no explanation necessary – its status, its iconicity incredible (loud).

The sensory-madness sent through visuals, sounds and azure didn’t and couldn’t stop, totalling a weekend-definite feeling of gratification. Before the lights could fall and the feedback could fade, Zombie Nation was already pitched behind the decks. Still not past eleven, the night was early, last tube home not impossible but the draw of late-hour DJ-steered debase, the nonchalant over-excuse of “it’s Christmas” meant no-hold-back.

The Christmas-sheen may have gone under back-room tactics of spilt pints and brawls but we’re not here for mince pies. Later again, stripped of the band, the two Belgian brothers stood against Brixton. The fever and zeal for 2ManyDJs was at its hottest. They left no room to fall though, no inhale to sigh- executing a dream-set of hit and remix and hit and remix.

No-one knows whether it’s still Thursday. There’s a convincing poise given the choice between going home for Christmas or staying through the consecutive nights, ignorant to work but enduring a total-festive high, smashed on Soulwax, rum and cheer.

Soulwaxmas upstages Christmas every time.