Day: 27 April 2015
Club: RBMA presents Industrial City Sounds
17th April
Sankeys
7/10
Sankeys hosted a big night on the Friday of the Red Bull Music Academy tour; ‘Industrial City Sounds’ featured world renowned DJs including Surgeon and Mr. Techno innovator/legend Derrick May.
Having never been to Sankeys before and being warned by friends that I might not like it, I didn’t know what awaited me there. Perhaps booming bass drums, night owls staring with dilated pupils at the DJ’s podium – just a bog-standard techno night? But it was Derrick MayDay on the table, so it shouldn’t be, not when he’s been DJing for more years than I’ve been alive and involved in techno since its bloody birth.
So there he was: this 50+ year old master taking over the record player, pulling out a vinyl (keep it real!), not playing any oldies, not wearing a beige cardigan and suddenly bouncing madly with his head as he touched the mixer. High energy levels rose and were pulsating from the mixer over to Derrick over to the crowd; I spied one old raver dressed up in baggies shuffling as he reminisced about old Madchester.
Derrick May is truly a master of his craft, beatmatching songs within seconds and neither caring to use his headphones too long nor being helped by any visual aids as the generic spasming laptop DJ would do to create the impression he was busy. But May certainly was busy, using the knobs creatively, muting whole bars of songs to create a tearing discomfort, then relieving us with some banging Detroit four-to-the-floor.
He is not your ordinary 50 year old, at least he tried hard not to be – maybe a little too hard. His set was composed of contemporary underground techno, with industrial pounding, dark minimal synths creating an image of an abandoned dystopian city – Detroit, maybe? He didn’t play any classics, leading to some disgruntlement amongst the old school techno heads in attendance. Only small bits of soul diva vocals, lush deep synths and jazzy riffs reminded us of his musical heritage and created some warmth and emotion, which made the audience cheer and want to shake his hands.
The rest of the night was about going mad to tribal rhythms chosen by this futuristic shaman, and everyone tried to participate in this ritual. But I wouldn’t say his set created any ecstasy or euphoria within the crowd. Maybe his trademark sound wasn’t bog-standard enough. As he ended his set, however, he left a deep impression on me when he sat down next to the table unmoved, facing the wall, meditating, seemingly redeemed by nothing else but the hi-tech rhythms.
Club: RBMA presents Zed Bias & Friends
18th April
Antwerp Mansion
8/10
The line-up for the RBMA tour night ‘Zed Bias & Friends’ read more like a call to arms of stalwart Mancunian names in garage, house and techno. Hosted in the unique atmosphere of Antwerp Mansion, the venue had undergone a Red Bull themed makeover; the Mansion presented itself in its Sunday best with plenty of light screens adorning the peeling wallpaper and an impressively clear sound system.
After hanging up his headphones from DJing, Zed Bias returns with a new live show performing material from his extensive back catalogue, including latest album Boss. The first half of his set seems a little stagnant with the upstairs becoming borderline overcrowded and classic tracks such as ‘Music Deep Inside’ seeming to lose the subtlety that makes them so great. However, heading into the second half of the set the atmosphere picks up quickly with tracks such as ‘Flamm’ and ‘Tug’ feeling just as dynamic with the live reworking, drawing vibrant movement in the crowd. Finishing with a “live rewind” of Tessela’s ‘Hackney Parrot’ ends the set on an exceptionally high note, leaving a feeling that Zed Bias could have done with an extra half an hour considering he was the headline act.
Paleman takes to the decks downstairs, putting in a solid tech-house mix with a more party atmosphere than upstairs. Duo Akkord follow up Paleman with their signature blend of techno infused jungle, footwork and UK bass. Akkord prove to be a solid gem of the night with members Synkro and Indigo seamlessly playing back-to-back, whipping the crowd into a frenzy.
Zed Bias & Friends played out as a fantastic night, but with the sheer amount of local talent on the itinerary – each able to headline in their own right – nothing else could be expected. Despite the small issues – blocked toilets and overcrowding on the dancefloor being the main culprits – nothing dampened the vibe on this excellent night.
Club: RBMA presents Wax Works
19th April
B.Eat Street
8/10
Aligned with Record Store Day, B.Eat Street hosted the Red Bull Music Academy event Wax Works, dedicated to vinyl-philes (if that’s not a word yet, it should be) with a number of acts performing on their turntables. Amongst those spinning sets were DJ Jazzy Jeff and PRhyme, consisting of hip hop producer extraordinaire DJ Premier aka Premo and rapper Royce Da 5’9.
As Royce Da 5’9 said himself on stage, it took him considerable amounts of personal growth alongside the development of his skills to finally make Premier his DJ. The hip hop legends have collaborated in the past (‘Boom’ in 1999) and now they are back together. Entering the stage they brought the old-school energy back, addressing the audience like church preachers commanding the admiration of the believers. It’s all about good old call-and-response to get a hip hop crowd moving (“Amen!”).
The duo started their one-hour set with some songs from their new eponymous album, characterised by the laidback beats of Premo, but with a more vintage sound. Premo incorporated samples by Adrian Younge (mostly 60’s organs and strings) into the mix, whilst Royce unleashed rhymes that demanded respect with their mastery of wordplay and their realness (“more squares in your radio than in waffles”). I almost feared it might be a self-celebrating event of their maintaining of “keeping it real” with a constant sound throughout the years – but this proved unfounded. After promoting their new album with only three songs, they began to take the piss out of themselves. A fun atmosphere was created by playing games such as a DJ-Rapper interview, where the DJ answers with scratching vocal sample. Another took the form of a sample-recognition game with the audience, where the original sample is played and then made into a beat – all live, of course!
These old hands showcased almost every skill they had within an hour, ranging from scratching to flow variations to creating beats from scratch. They also incorporated a guest act Kid Vishis to perform the art of battle rap without beat backing.
Although I felt this show might be interchangeable and not very personal, this changed when they shared what this tour really meant for them. Royce recounted staying sober for 5 years and dedicating his time to refining his techniques; Premo dedicated the tour to his deceased partner Guru from Gang Starr. For an audience who demanded old-school this was a nostalgic trip back to the golden age of hip hop.
What does your ASOS order history say about you?
What was the first thing you bought online? Back in 2009 mine was a pink and red polkadot bikini. This pre-holiday emergency buy was only thrown out last summer when after a good few years of service and a long stint of lounging in my underwear drawer, the elastic finally gave up.
If you’re as much of a clothes nerd as me you might well remember precisely which item it was that first inspired you to click buy, to type in your details and wait excitedly for the parcel of digital dreams come true to be delivered into your arms. But if not, your ASOS order history is here to help. I am assuming, that as the first of its kind, the online affordable fashion retailing giant will be where most people first went clothes shopping in cyberspace.
Yesterday I bought a new pair of sunglasses from ASOS (well two actually, I need to try before I buy!) and while checking that my order had gone through I noticed my list of previous buys and my curiosity was piqued. Except for the polka dot bikini which I knew was my first, I couldn’t call to mind any of the other items I had purchased during my nearly six years as a serious online shopper. So I settled myself on the sofa and took a sartorial step back in time.
To my surprise, I found it was a strangely emotional experience. Not that I was sobbing over last summer’s sandals or anything, but more that I could see the clothes I’d bought for sixth form; an awkward and unsure mix of pencil skirts and floral shirts I’ve long since thrown out. I could see a dress bought for my Leavers’ Ball which I then wore to my sister’s graduation and is so great I’m probably going to wear it to my own in a few months time. I saw flurries of purchases from when I’d decided I was done with my style and needed a wardrobe overhaul. And the fact that you can see—admittedly tiny—images of your purchases only helps to ramp up the nostalgia factor. From celebratory buys to pick-me-up purchases, from fashion landmarks to throwaway fads, this was more than a style journey, this was a little piece of my personal history.
So if you’re looking for a little procrastination inspiration and repeatedly refreshing Instagram has gotten old, take a look at your online order histories and say hello to the fashion hallmarks of a former self.
Live: RBMA presents Tropical (ft. JME, Skepta, Preditah, C4, Todd Edwards, Logan Sama)
16th April
The Ritz
6/10
Back in 2006, the influence of UK garage had somewhat petered out on the club scene and in the charts (Artful Dodger, DJ Luck / MC Neat). Around the same time, Grime had built up a big following but was still relatively underground. In an attempt to break the negative stigma attached to the scene, JME released Tropical on his label Boy Better Know. DJ’s such as Todd Edwards and Wookie were huge influences on this new direction of music that took the positive, bubbly and club-ready influence of garage and fused it with grime.
Fast forward to nearly ten years later and the influence of garage is prevalent in almost every house track that makes the Top 40. Whilst grime gathers more and more momentum, its underground roots aren’t forgotten in a night that fuses the old and new, with help from a few familiar faces.
Former Rinse FM DJ Logan Sama’s setlist is characteristic of the night; full-throttled and in your face. His hour-long set spans the legacy of grime music, from Fire Crew’s ‘Oi’ to Stormzy’s ‘Know Me From,’ via tracks such as Kano’s ‘New Banger’ and Newham Generals’s ‘Hard’. Solo 45’s ‘Feed ‘Em to the Lions’ receives one of the biggest receptions of the night: mosh pits and madness – the crowd are more than ready for the next act.
Birmingham’s finest Preditah and C4 grace the stage starting with a funkier, garage-influenced set of songs, throwing it back halfway through their set to the late 90’s/ early 2000’s with Ed Case’s remix of Gorillaz’s ‘Clint Eastwood’ and Paul Johnson’s ‘Get Get Down.’
With no introduction the first few notes of ‘That’s Not Me’ reinvigorate the kids of the Ritz to put away their shape-cutting house shuffles and pull out their poignant gun-finger salutes. This is grime at its purest; needless to say the song was a highlight judging by everyone’s Snapchat stories the next morning. JME and Skepta deliver bars over a solid set that includes RBX’s classic ‘Rhythm ‘N Gash’, the infectious ‘It Ain’t Safe’ and Skepta’s latest release ‘Shutdown,’ which receives huge reaction, however it is moderate in comparison to ‘That’s Not Me’. The gig sees the duo bring out BBK’s Shorty (who celebrated his birthday on stage) and Frisco, amongst others, in a 30 minute set that seemed like it was over way too quickly.
The London brothers disappear off stage, and the man who is regarded as the inspiration behind Tropical, DJ Todd Edwards takes over the ones and twos by bringing the exotic flavours to a dreary Manchester evening. Although a legend in every right, his set is wasted on the wrong kind of crowd. The house-y, electronic vibes don’t sit well with the crowd as noted by the streams of people periodically leaving the building during his set.
Overall, RBMA’s Tropical came across as a little confused – designed as a club night with the main attraction being a live grime set. Nonetheless, for the short time JME and Skepta were on stage it felt like the beginning of something fresh: a much needed re-emergence for grime music. It is a culture that promotes an outlet for a disenfranchised mass of people, and one which is becoming more and more accepted by an ever-growing audience.
Live: James Bay
11th April
Albert Hall
8/10
If you haven’t heard of James Bay you must have been hiding in a cave for the last few months. Since winning the Critics’ Choice Awards at this year’s Brits, this singer-songwriter has rapidly risen to success.
On the back of three EP’s and within days of the release of his debut album Chaos and the Calm, he took to Manchester’s Albert Hall in front of an eager crowd.
The combination of venue with artist could not have been more perfect; the Albert Hall was simply a treat. Like a hipster’s take on Shakespeare’s Globe, the roundness of the room and dimmed lighting made the whole thing more intimate; that “lived in”, homely feel that is missing from so many more corporate venues, really suited Bay’s sound.
Kicking off with the up-beat ‘Collide’, then moving through ‘Craving’ and a personal favourite ‘When We Were on Fire’, the already sun-soaked and enthused crowd were officially revved up. These songs also showed that Bay is not simply another man with an acoustic guitar singing about his wee little heart breaking.
‘If You Ever Wanna Be In Love’ was the first song that really heard the biggest sing along. It is one of the more, let’s say, commercially viable tracks on his album. It was the popular ‘Let it Go’ though that really captured everyone gathered. It was the first moment that things reached that more emotional level; even the man who had had one too many and was essentially football chanting his way through every single song toned it down for this one.
That’s the great thing about James Bay’s music. Every song is incredibly detailed, coming from a very pure place, and yet all are free enough of ambiguity that most people can relate. He manages to create that instantly catchy hook which gives his music a familiarity that many other musicians never capture.