Eleven times CCL blew our tiny minds in the space of exactly one hour at Honcho Campout
As we come to the end of 2023, I am going to look back at some pivotal moments in my year in the style of classic clickbait journalism.
You’re welcome.
First up is one of the most mind-bending sets I heard this year: CCL on Sunday morning at The Grove at Honcho Campout. Their description of the set describes it as a “musical account, chopped screwed edited, of the different parts of me & queer ~experience, in many forms — chaos”. That it truly was.
I suggest you listen to the set before reading further:
CCL @ The Grove, Honcho Campout 2023
Thanks to the miracle of dual mic recorders we can hear not only CCL’s astonishing musical statement but also the crowd’s increasingly overwhelmed reaction to it, mixed in stellar fashion by Wordcolour — indeed, shout out to all the engineers who have mastered the Campout recordings so expressively.
The ‘moments’ in this set come thick and fast, so we’re going to break down just eleven of them, as CCL takes us from a simmering opening section into a perfect hour of extreme dancefloor mayhem. Just listen to the crowd and you’ll have half an idea how ecstatic, explosive and cathartic this was for everybody.
1) Approval is earned – 42m50s
CCL mentions in this interview that at the beginning of their set there was some disapproval — even shade — from the crowd. If those critics had been expecting more of what had been playing beforehand, they had set themselves up for disappointment. But by 42 minutes in you can hear the approval from the front rows, as CCL patiently rebuilt their own dancefloor.
2) The Crystal Method – 47m15s
Now settled confidently behind the controls, CCL locates the big red “audacity” button and doesn’t just hit it, they smash that thing until it is fully jammed on. The Crystal Method’s ‘Busy Child’ has the crowd laughing in disbelief.
3) “I know you hear me now” – 53m35
Missy was the first indication of CCL’s cross-festival conversation with Lis Dalton from the night before — something I could (and probably will) write about at length — and it’s that extra layer of significance that, despite stiff competition, makes this my favourite moment of the set. It’s the start of a beautiful dialogue. You can just imagine CCL with this cued up in the headphones — “I know you feel me now/I know you hear me now” — knowing exactly how wild it was going to drive everyone.
4) The mix out of Missy – 54m55
Not much to say about this one that the “oh-ho-ho”, screaming and “whaaat?” from the crowd don’t already cover.
5) The mix out of the mix out of Missy – 57m00
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a crowd as overcome as this one was at this precise moment (and this was before the vocal dropped).
6 ) The speed-up and switch – 61m20s
I’m not actually going to include the speed-change transition that leads into this clip because it’s too good a sequence to cut up. Safe to say CCL was DJ-ING. But you can hear the effect it had on the crowd straight afterwards, as the new track kicked in a full 24bpm faster than what was on before. Hoarse fervor.
7) CCL somehow mixes the crowd going wild into the set itself – 77m35s
Every time I listen to this part of the set I have an almost out of body feeling as the screams on the crowd mic seem to surge out of the music, doubling back on themselves in a weird loop, before I finally realise (again) that it’s not the crowd, but a sound on the track itself. This is a truly WTF moment to which the only appropriate response would be to shout: “Okay Ceci, OKAAAAY!” Speaking of which…
8) “Okay Ceci, OKAAAY!” – 79m20s
After that particularly mind-melting crowd-noise sequence, CCL refreshes the collective palate with ferocious bass pressure. “OKAY Ceci, OKAAAAY!” someone in the crowd admonishes, proudly. A Shakira tongue trill caps the moment off.
9) “Woof! Woof!” – 81m00s
Only a minute or two later, CCL has mixed into a track that proclaims “insane insane insane insane”, prompting a heartfelt “AARGH!” from one dancer while another lets out several approving woofs. You know you’re on the right track when the pups start barking.
10 ) Beating the barriers – 89m30s
Both Hemlock Hole and The Grove had plastic hoarding in front of the booth, I suppose to create a bit of protective distance between crowd and DJ/equipment. Over the course of the weekend, these barriers became impromptu instruments for the dancers at both stages: the clattering sound during this break is the front row absolutely WAILING on the plastic as CCL, once again, blows our tiny minds.
11) “Oh my gaaahd!” – 102m50s
[‘Millionaire’ comes in]
[General uproar]
“OH MY GAHD. OH MY GAAAAHD.”