- Henry Johnstone
Ten Tracks That Defined A Year of Tempo Comodo
Tempo Comodo celebrates its 1st Birthday at Club 77
Wow, a year has passed already? Time may fly, but the music remains nice and slow at Tempo Comodo. Since debuting at Sevs in April last year, Phil Smart’s flagship club night has delivered Sydney (and Brisbane) dance floor delights of a slower persuasion every Thursday. From 70bpm downtempo to mid-tempo chug, anything under 120bpm has been fair game as long as it's made for dancing.
With Tempo Comodo slowly approaching its first anniversary on Thursday 6 April, we asked ten of the night’s low-slung selectors to share a track that best sums up the last 12 months. An impossible task given the abundance of excellent music they’ve played, but here goes.
Phil Smart
Marabou – Morgen Nach Fest (Dorad’s 110-er Acidnorke Version)
"At first I thought, how could I possibly choose just one track to define a whole year at Tempo Comodo? Then I remembered this track. It’s been a consistent floor filler since the start and it manages to sum up more of what Tempo Comodo is about than any other track I could think of. It’s a 110bpm mid-tempo percussive chugger with a quirky, fun energy and a killer acid line thrown in. I’ve seen people lose their minds to it!"
TJ
Spill - Don't Wanna Know 'Bout Evil (Danny's Moto-Mix)
"I’ve enjoyed playing this track at Tempo Comodo. It’s a very nice 90s chugging house remix from Danny Tenaglia with beautiful vocals from Beth Orton to accompany. It’s a perfect tune to pick up the BPM and vibe and get the feet moving a little."
Marley Sherman
DJ Steef – Hide You Love
"This edit of a Paradise Garage classic sounded huge in Sevs. Never thought I’d play this to a full room and to be honest, I never thought I'd play this at Tempo Comodo! It was the last TC of ‘22 and I was closing the night. After plenty of acid-rollers, this boogie-bomb absolutely tore the roof off."
Lucas Gonzalez
Pender Street Steppers – Our Time
"I played this when we did our first takeover of Tempo Comodo with the Papania crew. It was around 11pm and the dancefloor was starting to get busy but the stools and tables were still there. When the bassline dropped everyone started dancing and screaming and instantly the staff removed the furniture, un-officially opening the dance floor."
Seher
Satori - Bad Looking Trouble (Hraach Remix)
"This track is a special one which I’ve loved for a long time but haven’t found the right gig to play it where the crowd would 'get it'. Both the artist and remixer are among my favourites.
I find this track hypnotising and it makes me feel like I'm floating. It’s dreamy, gentle, and enough to get toes tapping and heads swaying at the beginning of the night.
I love setting the vibe when Tempo Comodo opens with slower melodies infused with Middle Eastern instruments and vocals. I love that there is a space for this slower vibe in Sydney. 77 have spent a lot of effort and money on creating the perfect space to enjoy the slower paced grooves. The red lamps create a warm environment and the DJ booth is the best in Sydney. My favourite to play in! I’m loving the vibe that Phil Smart is bringing to Sydney and very grateful to be a part of it."
OnlyLUCA
Scumfrog – Tiny Little Human (The Oddness Out Of Reach Remix)
"I remember dropping this tune during my first appearance at Tempo Comodo. I was playing a late set and it was around 2.30am when I found it in my playlist. There was still a good crowd at that time and the reaction and energy that I received from them was elevating me off the ground. Magnificent moment!"
Uncle Ru
Fred Berthet feat Eva Jeanne – Teddy Bear
"This one is by the 'chug don' Fred Berthet, who rarely puts a foot wrong. It appeals to my darker, electronic side. It came out on Fran Deeper's Boite Music label, the sister label to his disco imprint Spa In Disco. It's a great arpeggiated track with a seductive female vocal by Eva Jeanne. It always gets a great reception at Tempo Comodo. Love it!"
Reenie
Daniel T - Trinidad Trouble
"I swear at every Tempo Comodo I've played this, it’s proven to have a god-given divine power to create a dancefloor congregation. It's a tune that unanimously decides it's the right time to transition from bar set to body mover and has never failed me. I think there's something so intrinsically fun about the way it fills the room and can sway anyone in proximity. If the dance floor is already going people seem to bust out their dorkiest and wildest moves. Consider yourself warned."
Henners
Asa Moto - Hynek Maneuvre
"I’d been loving this tune for a while and was chomping at the bit for the right moment to play it. It’s got an addictive bassline that sounds even more irresistible when pitched down to around 112bpm. I finally got my chance when I had the opportunity to play the closing set at Tempo Comodo. There was a nice little dance floor going so I went for it. A punter boogied up to the booth, pointed at the deck, nodded with a scrunch face of approval and said, “More of this please!” I think she liked it."
Pink Language
Niklas Wandt - I Wandt To Believe
"Almost impossible to choose just one track, but this recent release from Niklas Wandt on the ever sublime Animals Dancing imprint is a future pick for me. There is a slinky nostalgic magic here - the drums, the drones, the wonked-out acid that builds and builds. The playful melodies and the climax of ravey chords. Pure Hacienda hedonism! What more could we wandt?"
Tempo Comodo every Thursday at Club 77. Celebrating 1 year on Thursday 6th April. Event info can be found HERE