21st November
Manchester Ritz
8/10
With the prevailing trend in dance music it seems like every other week a new remix or rework creates hype around another emerging artist. Whilst most fall back into obscurity, Chet Faker has managed to capitalise upon the hype of his 2011 cover of Blackstreet’s “No Diggity”, three years on still filling out The Ritz. Having been helped along by regular collaborations from fellow Australian act Flume, most notably with the instantly recognisable hit “Drop The Game”, Faker has certainly forged his place within the scene. With a moniker derived from the legendary jazz artist Chet Baker, the sax and synth style that Faker infuses these influences into a post night electronica. Whilst such a style differentiates the sound from others in the same vein, some of the slower jazzier songs played for the Manchester crowd left the crowd lifeless and chatty. This was definitely made up with the audience perking up for the dancier tunes such as “This Song Is Not About A Girl”.
However, this one man orchestra was keen to set himself apart from other dance acts by telling the audience that he believes in a room for error in music. To showcase this Faker took time to fully improvise a mix on the spot, raving over his keyboard in a jazz-like trance . Such a divergence from convention was well received and for a track created on the spot was an absolute corker. Drawing mainly from his new album Built On Glass, Chet Faker put on a gig that left many fans eager to keep the night going. Though occasionally getting a bit slow for the attention of an audience made of dance fans, he held the crowd together well. This is certainly an achievement for a man playing keyboards whilst mixing and singing. One man bands don’t seem as bad anymore.
