I don't know how many of you managed to take notice of The Twelves, but their December 2009 BBC 1 Essential Mix caught my ear with surprise and delight as they managed to mash together with live instruments some of the most tasty remixes known to humankind with the flavor of Brazil, re-making on-the-fly the likes of Radiohead, Groove Armada, La Roux, and throwing in a number of Chemical Brothers tracks that were expertly sped up in tempo to flow seamlessly between tracks that would not have otherwise found their way into such a lively mix. Hearing Music:Response sped up to about 120 bpm was a definitely a shock at first, but god damn did it get me moving, and I was wholly enthusiastic to hear the Brothers' music being explored in a new way.

I saw them live for the first time and danced until my shirt dripped with sweat. I heard the Rolling Stones' "Gimmie Shelter" mixed up with some lively house beats, Elastica's "Connection" with an a capella version of The Gossip's "Standing in the Way of Control," and of course, some lovely tributes to the Chems.

The next time I saw them live, it was even better. I heard Josh Wink's "Higher State of Consciousness" played properly at 2 a.m. into a raving, smashing, grooving crowd, with a highlight of Star Guitar being mixed in afterward.

I saw them a couple more times, and each time they delivered. Unfortunately, however, with each successive performance I attended, they seemed to be moving away from the ingenuity and "fun" of their live remixes for more basic "EDM," or however the hell you want to label generic house music.

Unfortunately, if last night is any proper indication, they have veered much too far away for me to actually continue liking them. I don't know if they were playing their own music, which is lackluster for the most part, but nothing in the hour of their set that I stuck around to see was recognizable, save for the very end when they played an unenthusiastic version of Air's "Kelly Watch the Stars." That, unfortunately, was the high point.

What they played was, at its best, forgettable dance music. At its worst, it was almost amateur. There was one track they played where one of the duo attempted to sing through a vocoder over a rather uneventful track. The end result was something that sounded like one of your friend's little brother taking a metaphorical nose-dive at a community center talent show. It was painful to sit through, and it drove most of the audience out of the club.

It was probably more sincerely disappointing for the people who had heard them before at their best, when they managed to carry the audience to inspiring peaks filled with rave-infused energy, sending hands into the air grabbing for as much as anyone could manage. To go from dance-floor bliss to heart-breaking mediocrity was too much for me to bear, and I left after an hour of their absolutely dissatisfying set.

This was the most disappointing show I have been to since NYE 2006 when I was unfortunate enough to catch Blaqk Audio perform terrible cheese to a meager, half-hearted audience. Look them up at the risk of wasting your own time (I sure as hell should have before deciding to go to the club that night).

As far as the Twelves go, though, I'm sad to cross them off my list of what will draw me out for a fun night at a club.

MadPooter, on 27 May 2012 - 2:51 AM, said:

That sucks! I've kept that December Essential Mix on rotation to this day, it's a work of art. Very disappointing to hear.

WhiteNoise, on 26 May 2012 - 7:15 PM, said:

Meant to reply to this earlier--I feel like I broke up with a girlfriend or something... I almost can't listen to their Essential Mix now without feeling a sharp pain of disappointment...

But hey, I'll hold out hope.