rave
This Is England '90, Channel 4Monday, 14 September 2015It’s been worth the wait. There’s something about the affection Shane Meadows feels for his characters; the street action that doesn’t often (in this opener especially, though that may well change) tip into overt drama; the family elements that... Read more... |
CD: Satoshi Tomiie - New DaySunday, 28 June 2015Here's a funny one: used as an adjective, “lifestyle” has lately become a popular pejorative term for music (see, most recently, the kerfuffle over Jamie xx's debut solo album). It's taken the place of “coffee table”, which was the Nineties phrase... Read more... |
Die Antwoord, O2 Academy BrixtonSunday, 18 January 2015After three albums the question remains: is Die Antwoord more than a just a clever joke or is the act simply a caricature of South Africa’s trashy “Zef”-side? The guys and gal behind "Ninja and Yo-landi Vi$$er" are in no doubt – they claim to be “... Read more... |
theartsdesk at Glastonbury Festival 2014Thursday, 03 July 2014PrologueOn Thursday 26 June I arrive at a cloudy but warm Glastonbury Festival, set up camp, eat sausages, chase after DJ Richie Hawtin for an interview that never happens, then acclimatise, settle, let this hedonist Mecca do its work on me…Friday... Read more... |
Album of the Year: Special Request - Soul MusicTuesday, 17 December 2013It's an understatement to say that the massive revival of fortunes of club music in the 2010s has had its ups and downs. It's been a time of chaotic glut, of excess and spectacle – thanks particularly to the American “EDM” (electronic dance music)... Read more... |
CD: Sub Focus - TorusMonday, 30 September 2013When drum'n'bass emerged from hardcore rave's interactions with London's pirate radio culture, 20-odd years ago, it created some of the most radical grassroots music ever to come out of the British Isles. It came in such a white heat explosion of... Read more... |
Major Lazer, RoundhouseSunday, 05 May 2013It was a carnival-like atmosphere and a packed house for the transatlantic trendsetters Major Lazer in Camden. Recent show reports suggested a more maximal and bombastic vibe from Diplo and his current sidekicks Jillionaire and Walshy Fire, but... Read more... |
Karl Hyde, Union Chapel IslingtonFriday, 26 April 2013I have to admit I was That Hipster with Underworld: loved them circa 1991, stopped being intensely interested around the first album, diverged almost completely after “Born Slippy” went supernova circa 1995. It was wonderful the way that Karl Hyde... Read more... |
Minchin and Katy B for Somerset HouseTuesday, 24 April 2012The Summer Series, the annual concerts at London's palatial Somerset House, have announced their line-up for July 2012. It runs the gamut from Australian musical comedy performer Tim Minchin (also composer of the music to the musical Matilda) to... Read more... |
Major Lazer/Toddla T, Shepherd's Bush EmpireFriday, 20 April 2012It became clear, midway through support act Toddla T that this was going to be a bit special. With a view from the front of the first tier balcony, I could see the melee below and the two balconies above. The Shepherd’s Bush Empire is a gorgeous 109... Read more... |
CD: Orbital - WonkySaturday, 31 March 2012In 2009 Orbital returned too soon. Dance music icons Paul and Phil Hartnoll only called it a day a little over four years previously so it was hardly a magnificent comeback. The resulting live shows smelt more of tax bills than art. Fair enough, we... Read more... |
CD: Porcelain Raft – Strange WeekendMonday, 13 February 2012Remember Primal Scream’s woozy “Higher Than the Sun”? It’s a fair bet Mauro Remiddi does. His debut album as Porcelain Raft drifts through 10 foggy songs as disconnected, yet warmly melodic, as that era-defining excursion through the ether.Italian... Read more... |