“It was just amazing,” notes Mills of the evening. “The reaction from people was something we didn’t expect. Even the reactions from the musicians – they were very into the score. The conductor and I were quite amazed with the enthusiasm of the people.”
Indeed, the atmosphere within the room was as electric as the crowd was eclectic. Orchestra-loving octogenarians were seated next to 18-year-old pill-poppers and the diehard Docklands ravers of yesteryear who once witnessed Mills headline alongside the likes of Daft Punk, Frankie Knuckles and Speedy J at the 1998 Apollo Festival. Some were suited in-line with the elegance of the venue, others wore shorts and thongs to escape the spring heat.
The sceptics in the room were immediately converted as Mills worked his way through his back catalogue, with classic tracks such as Gamma Player and Sonic Destroyer conjuring up rapturous responses. In fact, as the show was closed out with an encore reprise of his string-laden track The Bells, musicians from the orchestra were so overwhelmed with the occasion many left their own seats to dance – unheard of in the classical world.
“That really caught the conductor off guard,” reminisces Mills fondly. “I really didn’t expect it, it wasn’t something we were seeing in the rehearsals. But we thought it was the great. The conductor and I agreed: this was probably the most exciting show we had ever done to date so far.”
The success of the evening for both performers and punters alike was crystal clear. And thus: the blueprints for a return trip for both Mills and composer Thomas Roussel were swiftly put into action.
“The discussion about coming back again for another show started shortly after, because of how exciting it was,” he notes. “We’re both very excited to come back and play with the orchestra again.”
This Saturday night’s show will not only see Mills play a never-before-performed set created with Roussel especially for Melbourne audiences, but fellow Detroit techno veteran Derrick May will also make his orchestra debut Down Under for a world-first double bill. May’s set is entitled Music is Music – a homage to his early moniker Rhythim is Rhythim – a show he’s recently performed to critical acclaim in Chene Park with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
“There will be selected compositions from Light From The Outside World,” details Mills of his upcoming Melbourne performance. “There will also be compositions made specifically for this show.” When asked if he and May might join each other on stage for collaboration he gently laughs in secrecy. “Expect a few surprises on the night.”
The concept of orchestra-fused performances from contemporary musicians seems to be snowballing. Last October, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra played alongside Flight Facilities to 12,000 people as part of the 2015 Melbourne Festival. All tickets sold out within two hours of going on sale, with thousands more watching on from Federation Square to a live broadcast.
“There’s definitely been an increase in shows,” notes Mills of his touring schedule with orchestras over the past few years. “It seems to be the case that’s growing. Almost every concert that I’ve done has been completely full and sold out. Now we’re at the point where we’re adding more shows to each city.
“I just finished a string of six shows in northern France, all of the shows were sold out. Previously before that all of the shows I had played had been completely full. It appears that we’re really on the edge of something much, much larger. I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of this to come.”
Mills has always been considered a visionary in the techno world (some say an alien), consistently at the forefront of experimentation, pushing the sonic boundaries of music. With almost four decades within the techno world, his approaches to both music and art (he recently held down an artistic residency at Le Louvre) have always been that of a futurist.
“One gathers a lot about what’s happening with electronic music by travelling around regionally in different countries,” he shares of his creative process. “By the end of every year I have a really good idea of what is going on. I can use that to my advantage: to produce music, or to create projects that I know may be of interest to certain people from certain places.
“In this case I could calculate that there would be a lot of interest in this project, due to the accumulation in generations through electronic music. Some may not participate in dance events, but they still love the music. They’ve probably always been waiting for something along these lines that they could come and experience. There looks likes there are many more concerts like these to come. “
BY TYSON WRAY
