Prepare to dance: This year's Peacock Society was pure musical alchemy

Kekra, Squarehouse

Wandering across the site for the first time, punters were greeted not by the dull, distant thud of a kick drum, but the rolling snares and nimble word play of Kekra, a local hip hop group opening the Squarehouse to a sizeable and energetic crowd. As various parts of the universally French crowd erupted into mosh pits, it became clear that each and every person in the crowd had arrived early to see Kekra. Tracks like ‘9 Milli’ exemplified the masked and hooded posse’s sound; a combination of boom-bap and trap with just a hint of grime. The Peacock Society sells itself as a techno festival. In any other country this would entail a lineup consisting purely of techno. But in France’s capital scenes collide; hip hop and techno do not exist in separate worlds. Instead, communities mix, exchange ideas and thrive by stepping outside of their respective comfort zones. As they left the stage having performed ‘Boombastick’, techno faded in through the speakers as the stage was prepared for the first DJ of the night. The transition was seamless.

Peggy Gou, Squarehouse

Critics and fans alike continue to describe Peggy Gou as a rising star. Let’s be clear here: the South Korean artist no longer needs to stake her claim. It’s taken her just one year to go from relatively unknown artist to sharing lineups with artists like Jackmaster and The Martinez Brothers. Watching her play, you wouldn’t be able to guess she debuted on the international scene just over a year ago. Confident and dynamic, Gou pulled off all kinds of unexpected yet flawless mixes during her set on the festival’s second stage, the 5,000 capacity Squarehouse. Soon into her set she dropped Maurice’s ‘This Is Acid (A New Dance Craze)’ before moving into driving, soulful house cuts like Alexander Robotnick’s ‘Undicidisco (Justin VanDerVolgen Edit)’ and ‘Norm Talley’ by Travlin. Given her early billing - she played from 1am until 2:30 - it wouldn't have been surprising if the crowd’s reaction to Peggy Gou was a little muted. Yet when she dropped Outlander’s ‘The Vamp’ towards the tail-end of her set, the dancefloor exploded - a clear indicator of her growing presence, and her talent of reaching for a well-placed classic.

Marcel Dettmann, Warehouse

It’s a testament to the incredibly high quality of sets across the weekend that Marcel Dettmann didn’t immediately to stand out as a must-see. On any usual billing, the Berghain resident and MDR label boss would be just that. But at The Peacock Society, Dettmann was just another choice off the menu. That’s not to say his set wasn’t a masterclass in flawlessly mixed industrial techno. In truth, it may have been the most upbeat, vigorous set I've seen him play. The Berlin native played hard and fast, mixing quickly between melodic tracks like Shed’s remix of Moderat’s ‘Running’ and the electro-tinged ‘Solar Analogs’. Clearly relishing the cavernous space and excitable crowd, Dettmann played with a grin plastered across his face.

Nina Kraviz, Warehouse

Identifying exactly when Nina Kraviz went from solid techno DJ to label-transcending, world-dominating icon is tricky. The launch of her трип label in 2014 was certainly an important moment, as was the release of her DJ-Kicks compilation in January 2015. What’s clear is that experiencing the Russian DJ at work in 2017 is an avant-garde aural experience. Nina is clearly loved by the French - the Warehouse was packed wall to wall during her closing set from 5 until 7. Any attempt to get close to the stage was pointless. Next door, Jackmaster played to a thin crowd, a reflection not of his own skill but of the universal popularity of Kraviz. Each track was as bizarre as the last, as pressure mounted and the heaving crowd undulated to each unexpected drop. The set was a finely balanced mixture of unreleased трип material, obscure trance and oddball techno. Behind the decks Kraviz flitted between CDJs, nimbly introducing tracks like Tesox’s ‘Prophetic Steps’. As the clock struck 7 and sunlight streamed into the Warehouse, still packed with bodies, Kraviz dropped DJ Randy’s ‘Deception’, emerged from behind the decks and bowed to the crowd.

Kaytranada, Warehouse

On a lineup dominated by big-name techno acts, Kaytranada stood out as the only DJ playing and producing hip hop, trap and R&B. This made his midnight set feel like a real event. Surrounded by four colossal floating lanterns, Kaytranada worked his way through his back catalogue. To the right, Kaytranada’s entourage, numbering almost 20, watched with subdued interest. Almost every track on his recent album on XL Recordings, '99.9%', got a showing. The Canadian artist is prolific as hell, having released a total of 31 different projects and 41 remixes. Aged only 24, this gave the Haitian born Canadian a wealth of tracks to draw from. As French b-boys breakdanced and girls atop shoulders sang each and every lyric Kaytranada dropped ‘Girl’, his collaboration with The Internet. As expected, the room erupted once more.

Moodymann, Warehouse

Like Snoop Dogg, Moodymann is today known by many for his cartoon-character like appearance and propensity for dropping awkward tracks like ‘Sex On Fire’ at British festivals. It’s a shame, because Moodymann is a good selector and a raucous party DJ, even if he tends to stick to a select few records he knows he can rely on. Playing the main stage before Apollonia, Kenny Dixon Jr., head honcho of Mahogani Music, kept the crowd on their toes, veering from obscure disco cuts to the original of Moderat’s ‘Bad Kingdom’ to this, Marc Kinchen’s ‘Burning’, a track that might just qualify as the definitive deep house track.

Midland, Squarehouse

As Avalon Emerson finished with a flurry of jungle, Midland stepped up to deliver a set of hard-hitting techno and disco house. Smooth transitions and solid, bass-heavy selections were the order of day. His set contrasted sharp, beat-driven techno with tracks that sounded like shafts of light breaking through the cavernous warehouse’s sloped ceiling. Axel Boman’s ‘ABBA 002’ was such a moment, when the record’s glorious melody had dancers reaching skyward. More than a year on from its release, you would think Harry Agius would be a little bored of dropping ‘Final Credits’ to rapturous applause on an almost bi-weekly basis. Clearly he hasn’t and I for one am glad of it.

The Black Madonna, Squarehouse

Kicking off with an impromptu back-to-back with Midland (the two have become close friends of late) the crowd in the Squarehouse grew substantially as Apollonia took to the adjacent Warehouse stage. The Black Madonna took control and each track was delivered with the perfect dosage of crowd interaction: a clap here, a twirl there. Every selection had us thinking “What is this?”. Green Velvet and Harvard Bass's 'Laser Beams' epitomised that feeling. Marea Stamper has a talent of placing well-known tracks in contexts where they sound fresh. Scottish duo Slam’s ‘Vapour’, whilst overplayed, felt well-suited to the space. Even Plastikman’s 'Spastik' felt apt, and gave a useful indicator of the quality of the Squarehouse’s soundsystem: Hawtin’s notorious kick felt like a minor seismic shift occurring beneath the concrete dancefloor. The Black Madonna may have delivered the finest set of the weekend, cutting between italo-disco, speed-garage, techno and spaced-out euphoria courtesy of Phil Kieran’s remix of ‘Dancing Bears’. As DVS1 took over and the clock struck 5, Stamper received the loudest, longest applause of the festival.

Alex Green is Mixmag's Weekend Editor and will probably be back next year. Follow him on Twitter here