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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Dirty Projectors - The Hope

Many bands claim to sound like ‘nothing else out there’ but usually they offer little more than a slight variation on staples like Razorlight / Strokes or whatever the genre du jour may be. Clearly, bands like this cannot have heard of Dirty Projectors, a Brooklyn based boy/girl quartet bursting with character, invention and sensational musicianship.

Theirs is a complex, exotic sound that draws on Afro Beat’s clipped guitar lines and tricksy rhythms and mixes it with plunging dubwise basslines and intermittent blasts of furious, white-knuckle guitarring. They deftly mixed the soulful with the cerebral; the girls’ pitch perfect R’n’B eqsue backing vocals providing the perfect counterpoint to frontman Dave Longstreths’ strangulated croon.

Songs gradually knitted themselves together out of seemingly disparate scratches of guitar and the sprawling arrangements and restless shifts in tempo and dynamics meant the hour long set was akin to getting lost in some kind of musical Alladin’s cave; thoroughly disorientating but magical and hugely rewarding at every turn.

posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:56 PM

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Thursday, November 22, 2007

Hot Hot Heat - Pavilion Theatre

Back in 2004, Hot Hot Heat were the only band on the planet capable of transporting me into the mind and body of a 16 year old girl. The faintest whiff of indie disco perennial ‘Bandages’ or indeed anything off their peerless debut “Make Up the Breakdown” and I’d be swooning, giggling and writhing in glee.

I arrived at the Pavilion Theatre on Wednesday in the foulest of moods (as anyone with but a passing interest in Our National Game can probably work out why) praying that Canadian five piece would deliver and whisk me back to simpler, happier times.

To their eternal credit, they succeeded. Each song crackled and fizzed with wired poppy energy and drenched in sweat from song two in, vocalist and consummate showman Steve Bays preened, posed and strutted about the stage, tossing his mic and substantial curly mop about like a distinguished graduate from Frontman Finishing School. Sighing, once again, I was in heaven.

posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:52 PM

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Friday, November 16, 2007

Caribou - Audio

With writer/producer Dan Snaith in control, on record Caribou are both majestic and magical, each track rich in atmosphere and heady melodies. But honestly, what is the point of re-rendering painstakingly crafted material like this live when the only enhancement seems to be playing it four times louder? Audio’s unforgiving, boxy acoustics are notoriously unkind to drummers and my heart sank at the sight of not one, but two drum kits set up at the front of the stage. Sure enough, virtually all Caribou’s nuance and swirling atmospherics were buried beneath a battery of rattling snares and sibilant cymbals.

Delivery of a record like this year’s “Milk of Human Kindness” with a full live band work when the songs - should there be any - are given centre stage as opposed to the sonics. But Thursday's set was largely instrumental and the weak vocals and songs themselves nowhere near the quality required to fully engage in this context. Each tune drew from the same sonic palette and with little variation in pace the whole thing became exceptionally dreary. Mid set, the majority of the audience could scarcely be bothered to remove their hands from their pockets to applaud and with the band also looking distinctly unmoved by their performance they certainly deserved the dreary reaction.

They almost redeemed themselves with a gorgeous ‘She’s the One’ its spectral harmonies and gentle chug providing some much needed respite from the relentless percussive attack. A wigged out kraut-esque encore eventually stirred the audience from their slumber, but it was too little too late. A massive, massive disappointment.

posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:51 PM

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Thursday, November 15, 2007

Digitalism - Concorde 2

Unless you’re a jobbing DJ or die-hard enthusiast you could be forgiven for thinking Dance music had died on its all too bloated bottom in 2003. But something was stirring in Europe; A scuzzy, uncompromising sound fusing Daft Punk’s elementary future-funk, Soulwax’s smash and grab electroclash and the punk-disco dynamics of New York stable DFA. Among its premier exponents were Wednesday’s Concorde 2 headliners: Digitalism.

There wasn’t much to look at on stage and the young German duo were largely obliterated by their retro/futurist projections and retina scorching strobes. Furthermore, beyond the odd crack at an electric drum kit and a couple of turns on the mic there was little to stimulate or engage like a traditional live band set up would.

But what they lacked in showmanship they more than compensated for with their electrifying sonics, flaunting a total mastery of rich distortion, pummelling drums and searing analogue synths. The set was exceptionally well paced too, front loaded with the melancholia that defined their recent debut LP and rounded off with a punishing acid climax. Naturally, total pandemonium ensued.

posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 11:11 PM

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Positive 15th Birthday

It’s virtually impossible for anyone under a certain age (let’s say 33) to fully appreciate the seismic impact acid house had on British culture in the late 80s and early 90s. I’m quizzing Darren, Positive’s founder, anchor and man of 10,000 fascinating stories on this, Positive’s 15th Birthday, about what it was really like back then.

“Jobs were shit, money was shit, TV was shit, music was shit, pubs were shit and the clubs even worse”, he states emphatically. “We had to make our own entertainment”

Darren cut his teeth on the free party scene at its very origins, but before too long the gangsters and dodgy dealers moved in on the nascent scene, everything got a bit too edgy and as a result, Darren bailed out. But the parties continued to thrive without him and eventually Darren’s mates persuaded him to get involved again and pick up where he left off.

This time around though he swore it would be different: Co-operation – as opposed to confrontation – with the police and local authorities was encouraged, party sites would be cleared and tidied the day after, fences would be repaired and participation, respect for your fellow raver and indeed, non-raver would keep out the unsavoury elements. Thus ‘Positive’ in both name and ideology was born.

Initially the club nights were just a means to raise funds for what Darren intended to be ‘the biggest soundsystem in the country’ but as dance music gradually seeped out of the fields, squats and warehouses into mainstream culture and clubs, Positive’s winning combination of free party vibes within the cosy and infinitely more convenient confines of the local nightclub meant punters just kept coming back for more.

Make no mistake – 15 years of partying and promoting in the turbulent, notoriously fickle and cut throat business of dance music is an incredible achievement so how have they lasted? Much of Positive’s appeal comes from its sense of history and place in the acid house pantheon. To boot, its legacy is the continual upholding of the principle tenets of acid house: Not for profit, inclusive parties for bass-loving hedonists.

By sticking doggedly to this simple manifesto Positive have created a kind of Rave Neverland where nobody really grows up and you can see it in the way the crowd interact tonight. Hugs, smiles and handshakes are exchanged left right and centre – the typical conversation running along the lines of “Mate haven’t seen you since Ovingdean 2004” or “Weren’t you at Black Rock in June?”; everyone greeting each other like Acid Alumni at some class of ‘89 reunion.

Of course another key factor in Positive’s longevity is their willingness to gradually tweak the formula and musically, over the years the Positive sound has taken in everything from Jungle (WAY back in day) to deep, soulful House. These days it’s mainly about the bumpy, trippy tech-house that soundtracks the naughty parties and the tough tech-funk sound they’ve helped popularise in the UK, regularly bringing scene heavyweights like Meat Katie and Elite Force to their bi-monthlies at Audio.

Tonight, Positive’s core residents take turns spinning their own readings of the Positive sound. Simon Atkinson is up first with the punchy, techy tackle that defined their legendary nights at Concorde 2 circa 2003/4 and Kooki follows with his hugely inventive and distinctive sound that somehow rolls steppy breaks, Switched-up house and tech-funk into one seamless bass heavy ride.

Their talismanic semi-resident Dave Mothersole closes proceedings with a typically dexterous blend of more international tech house sounds, throwing the occasional electro fourish into the mix.

The party moves on to Funky Buddha after Audio and once the stragglers from the Buddha’s early show have been replaced with the Positive faithful things REALLY get going. Suddenly, the sun’s up and eveyone’s spilling out onto the sea front. But the party doesn’t stop there with the truly hardcore heading off to a house party that, incredibly, is still rocking at 6AM the following morning.

But after all these years you’d expect nothing less from them. Positive Sounds – at it for ages but still going strong.

posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:17 PM

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Holy Fuck - Pressure Point

Really, you wouldn’t go see a band calling themselves Holy Fuck expecting choral recital or earnest folk strumming. And whilst there is more melody, colour and playful charm to Holy Fuck than their gung-ho name suggests, there’s not operational band with a moniker that so accurately transcribes one’s internal monologue when in thrall to their live sound.

They manned the stage with bassist, drummer and two hyperactive electronics operators who tweaked and hammered a succession of wonky Casios and FX pedals. And devoid of the omnipresent glow of a laptop it was immensely refreshing to hear synthetic sounds emanating from a stage where there was evidently more going on than someone perhaps updating their Facebook status.

Lord only knows how they kept it all together - but the organised chaos approach only enhanced the experience and HF treated a Pressure Point packed with grinning, wide-eyed hipsters and tipsters to an hour of trippy, motorik electronica and pulverising dance-rock that moved both the heart and the feet. Awesome in every sense.

posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:45 PM

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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Sons and Daughters - Pressure Point

Alternating between old and new material, ‘Sons and Daughters’ showcased the more muscular, grandiose tones of their forthcoming second album with infinitely more confidence and commanding stage presence than I remember them having a couple of years back. Looking every bit like the coolest gang in town from some 50s B-Movie, they took to the stage with quiffs, braces, and vintage gear intact.

Theirs is an unashamedly retrogressive sound that draws on blues, rockabilly and wiry country and fuses it with the barrelling energy and foot-stomping righteousness of garage. And despite a few early tour technical hitches, each song was delivered with unerring conviction; driving, sultry and tourniquet tight.

Indeed they are an eminently watchable band, each of the four of them boasting distinct and compelling on stage personalities. I was captivated throughout by bassist Ailidh Lennon who tottered and swayed like some otherworldly porcelain figure on the cusp of fainting whilst simultaneously dispensing with snaking, sultry basslines so deep and resonant they utterly belied her slight frame and icy composure.

posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:37 PM

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Monday, November 05, 2007

Battlejam - Audio

In the beginning there was hip hop. And there were two turntables and a microphone. And with these most rudimentary of tools the pioneers created an entirely new form of music and with it, a lifestyle that to this day, endures as one of our most pervasive manifestations of popular culture.

That the basic decks/mixer/mic combo still forms the backbone of most hip hop shows should set a few alarm bells ringing. Where, you might ask, is the next generation of MCs and turntablists taking the template and twisting it into new and exciting forms? Well, it’s happening right here in Brighton at Battlejam.

A handful of MCs and DJs man the stage as you would expect but their interaction and on the spot improvisation is far from traditional. Cutting edge digital decknology allows UK DMC Champ JFB to sample up the MCs and instantly loop and scratch their vocals alongside his existing breaks, effectively creating fresh beats and tunes on the spot. Likewise, resident beatboxer Beardyman juggles a series of FX units at his feet, looping and layering crunching beats, belching B-lines giving the whole show the semblance of some hyped gig/club/block party combo.

The tempo is by no means limited to hip hop either. Skippy ragga, jump up and breakbeat all get a look in, even a blast of jacking electro house – albeit one concocted, on the spot by Beardy comin’ atcha like some rave Rory Bremner.

There’s so much to enjoy here – stonking atmosphere, bang-up-for-it crowd, and in its relentless innovation the distinct notion that there’s something very special and potentially enormous taking shape right here on our doorsteps.

posted by: Jim Brackpool @ 10:29 PM

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