DJ Format rose to prominence in the mid-‘oughties with his sample-based breaks and beats, drawing on the combined influences of feel-good hip-hop and sample-guru DJ Shadow. His live show is a master-class in live sampling and scratching, similar to the vibes of the Farmhouse’s regular soul/funk nights. As anachronistic as the live real-wax DJ experience might seem, Format effortlessly had the awkward white-as-white bread Farmhouse patrons attempting some enthusiastic b-boy moves (though the lack of accompanying MC might have disappointed some).
Despite being far too full of Christmas cake to really bust a move, I enjoyed both the constantly shifting tempos and musical references, from funky James Brown breaks to A Tribe Called Quest tributes. All in all this was the usual, well-organised and highly-enjoyable night at the Farmhouse.
myspace
Wednesday 23 December 2009
BATS - Red In Tooth & Claw
Red in Tooth & Claw is the sound of 5 Richard Dawkins groupies rocking out in Converge’s recording studio. A furious rhythm section paired with 3 duelling guitars, BATS are not for the faint hearted, nor for the spiritually-minded. The subject matter on this, their debut LP, ranges from the CERN reactor to medieval religious persecution, the common thread being the endorsement and elevation of scientific thinking. Released on the Richer Collective, home of other noisy Irish bands such as Not Squares, Continuous Battle of Order, this record is a blistering and at times supremely melodic listen. Although I can’t speak for the band’s influences, their closest sonic kin would seem to be metal-core kingpins Converge…or perhaps dance-punkers Liars…or maybe label-mates Adebisi Shank…or maybe…
Evidently theirs is a sound not easily classified, their constant musical transmogrifications (big word!) resulting in a constantly exciting experience, even more so live. A mixture of danceable bass-lines, math-rock guitar, heavy riffs and quirky choral sections all combine to create a fairly unique sound. Key to any enjoyment of this album is the humour BATS bring to the subject matter: something generally sacrificed by other bands with such high-falutin’ philosophical agendas. Second track, “Gamma Ray Burst: Second Date” is a quasi-comical description of being on a date when a star dies, taking us with it; “Credulous Credulous” an over-the-top assault on new-age/old-age superstition, while “BATS spelled backwards is STAB” is self-explanatory. Suffice to say BATS are not a lecture, nor do they share the same infuriating smugness of Dawkins and his cohorts. They’re firmly tongue-in-cheek, whilst still being educational enough that I was able to justify listening to them to myself in lieu of revising for a Biology exam.
Red in Tooth & Claw, a line from a very, very long Tennyson poem, isn’t half as pretentious or nerdy as it should be. It’s fun, it’s loud, and it’s intensely danceable; both a great addition to the already excellent Richter Collective back catalogue as well as the strong leftfield of contemporary Irish music.
links:
myspace
An explanation of each track from frontman Rupert Morris
And video for single Shadow Fucking
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)