Live electronica is on a roll. Last Friday night at Luxy saw live saxophone from Rintaro Masui. Hailing from Japan but having grown up in Africa, Masui, whose first language is Swahili, blends Oriental and African vibes into a big chunk of jazzy soul, which was expertly layered over Soulutions’ final set at Luxy’s Sabbatical. The lads ended their four-week residency with a bang having firmly hoisted the flag for locally-based DJs and are now back in the studio working on their own music.
Over at DV8 last Saturday, Viba, Moshang and KusoJ were doing their live thing in the confines of a venue that, despite a lick of paint, has not lost its grimy soul. Moshang’s set was notable for his use of a midi saxophone, which for the less technically minded isn’t really a saxophone, but thinks it is when plugged into a laptop. No one could quite explain how it works any better than that, but it is a clever bit of kit and highly realistic. Moshang kicked off with some solid house and Viba took up the groove peppering his set with electro disco-funk, something of a change from the more ambient fare that’s on his new CD East-West Relations, which showcases Viba’s influences from late 1980s and early 1990s British dance music and a decade or so living out here in Asia. The CD is out now and you can hear samples at www.myspace.com/vibamusic. Gigs are planned for early next year.
KusoJ’s set started off as a good idea, in theory, mashing 160bpm breakbeats with live thrash-metal guitar. The set sounded at times like a rottweiler having a heated argument with a jackhammer; perhaps the drum-machine and the synthesizer weren’t synched properly, or DV8’s fire-hazard of a basement, which has the acoustic properties of a shipping container, didn’t suit.
That said, the jury’s still out until their next gig, and at the very least they are pushing the boundaries of experimental electronica.
Not so much pushing the boundaries as going back to their roots, five-piece hip-hop band Fluent have put their debut album up on the web (www.areyoufluent.com — on the download page.) The group, comprising four Canadians and a Parisian who, until recently, were all Taipei based. Two of the outfit are back in Canada, but through the magic of the Internet they have recorded the album pretty much as their live sets go, which will be familiar to anyone who heard them play here earlier this year. Challenging and intelligent lyrics are backed up by live musicians — the band members pride themselves on not using samples — and produce a refreshing sound that will appeal to both true hip-hop devotees and those that, mistakenly, dismiss hip-hop as being only about shooting people in the face for laughs. Well worth a listen.
The fabulous Darren Emerson, who is spinning at Champagne 3 on Saturday night, will usher in the first day of Advent. There isn’t the space here to list the ex-Underworld member’s achievements as a DJ, producer and leading light of the British dance scene over the last decade; suffice it to say that he comes highly recommended, as anyone who saw him at Luxy earlier this year can attest. (He remains Hooker’s top DJ of the year, despite Emerson, inexplicably, flicking Hooker the bird.) Tonight, Junior and Megan will play at Luxy, before they join Marcus Aurelius, Fratzuki and Vinny tomorrow for a safe sex party at Sex and the City (next to Carnegie’s on Anhe Road). Hourly contests will be giving away free condoms, sex toys and lingerie, and it’s free entry for ladies wearing stockings. Oh, and there’ll be porn on the projector.
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