Empire & Shifty pres. The Nextmen @ The Empire, Brisbane (02/05/2009)

As we entered the Moonbar, Cornershop greeted us with A Brimful of Asha care ofSlynk. It’s a crime that this was the first time I’d caught the local funkster as his set was filled with a confident mixing of funky beats and chilled out grooves. Sadly the number of souls on the floor at the time didn’t reflect the attention this set deserved, but by 11.30pm the floor had filled up a bit as it was becoming difficult to not get your groove on to the skills on display.

Those skills really came to the fore just as Sampology was preparing to take over. The two briefly played back and forth with beats and pieces of their own styles, with Slynk showing that he can scratch it with the best of them. When the Butter Beats golden boy took over proper, he didn’t waste any time in getting the floor bouncing and the room reverberating to Ol’ Faithful soul classic California Soul. The combination of the liquid gold vocals of Marlena Shaw and Sampology’s chilled out but stirring bass had done their job, but it was time to turn it up a little bit.

The driving funky beats came in the form of everything from FAZE-O’s Ya-Ba-Da-Ba-Duzie to some more recent funky breaks of True Skool by Coldcut. One shot from leftfield had this reviewer pleasantly floored with a perfectly paced groovy reworking of I Can’t Go For That. An already skilfully proficient set that showed Sampology’s technical skills in his mixing and scratching was topped off with a nice liquid dnb inclusion of The Specials classic Ghost Town, a possible hint at the kind of set we’d be treated to by the main event?

Starting a little later than billed, the laptops were switched over and the extra two decks were employed to begin what was billed as a four-turntable two-hour extravaganza by the Nextmen. The set began with quick breaks cutting from Head Over Heels overlaid with Michael Jackson vocals to Superstitious, which would have gone down really well if the sound hadn’t suddenly cut out…

...but they were soon back on track moments later when a bass-heavy funky edit ofBittersweet Symphony limply resurrected the set back to life. The Dizee Rascal debutFix Up Look Sharp was a popular, if brief choice, and really stepped up the movers and shakers, but it was all too suddenly cut into by the increasingly overused 99 Problems. Thankfully, due to the nature of the Nextmen set, it didn’t last long and we were quickly on to the most popular inclusion of the night.

They’ve been known to do some tasty remixes of New Zealand dub, most notable among them the great job they did with Shapeshifter’s New Day Come, but I’d never heard Fat Freddy’s Drop sound so good during a set, at least not since they played the Tivoli recently. The Nextmen’s 2-step remixing of Roady got the biggest cheer of the night. All arms were in the air and feet were pounding the floor as this live classic was rejigged to great effect.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes though when Welcome to Jamrock started to impede on the previous excellent blending of liquid dub and garage 2-step (possibly only 99 Problems being more overused in funky breaks sets), but when it was shifted to bring a booming drum n bass to the fore all fears were allayed. There was a noticeable release in the room as everyone really let loose and stomped the floor with delight as the wall-shockingly loud DnB bombarded the crowd with superb beats. In fact, it was only when the set descended (or should that be ascended?) into dnb, was everyone at their most enthusiastic.

Sadly, as was now to be expected, this didn’t last long, and we had shifted genres once again, being subjected to INXS staple Need You Tonight, with an admittedly smooth sounding and perfectly matching bassline from Bob Marley & The Wailersmasterpiece Could you Be Loved. Certainly a replay of Hall & Oates lost its sheen with Sampology having already skilfully included it in his own set. It was beginning to feel like student night at the local dive when Kiss came on and sealed the deal, and by this stage the MC’s often misplaced and all-too frequent chants of “making some fucking noise!” and “oh shit!” were beginning to really grate.

Relief came when he didn’t stick around for the finale, and while some thinly veiled disappointment from the duo due to the fact the crowd didn’t make as much “fucking noise” as required, it was sufficient to warrant a Nextmen encore filled with blaring trumpets and big band funk with a Sexual Healing flavour. The crowd promptly dissipated, and no doubt those seeking a night of recognisable intros to tracks they could sing along to whilst chasing tail, were the happiest of the lot.

Acts that can skip effortlessly from one genre to the next show off great skill and proficiency with their equipment, but rarely the intuition for gauging the mood of the night. Sadly this is how the Nextmen gig can be summed up. They are technically brilliant at what they do, but to deliver about ten seconds of a hip hop classic and make it judder into an 80s poptacular tune makes it difficult to really get into any one song. The Nextmen skipped from hip hop to jungle to 2-step to garage to dnb to indie inspired breaks with the deftness and skill of some of the best, but spreading yourself too thin in the space of what turned out to be just over an hour and a half denotes quantity over quality.

A deaf preschooler could have noticed that when they dropped the drum and bass the crowd went ballistic, but this good work was undone when they continued on in their journey of an extensive genre-spanning track list, and betrayed a lack of precision in catering to the mood. Sometimes it seems that, sadly, international acts that haven’t played in Australia very often feel the need to play to the commercial masses. What needs to be realised is that to work your way through a set of less popular but far superior gems until you hit that sweet spot where the crowd reacts, and reacting in kind, is much more rewarding.

Drop feat. Jody Wisternoff @ The Moonbar, Brisbane (21/08/09)

Many people will be eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new Way Out West release, and for those lucky enough to spend Friday night in Brisbane, they managed to experience one half of the talent that has brought us such classic anthems as Ajare, Domination, and The Gift. Jody Wisternoff, not one to sit around on his hands between WOW releases, has been stamping his own mark of authority as a solo DJ in his own right.

Drop were lucky enough to be hosting him at the Moonbar, and needless to say, this was one of the biggest names they’d managed to nab since Scott Walker and mag00started out six years ago. The boys were doing themselves justice and showing just why they were at the forefront of hosting one of the most consistently top-notch house nights in Brisbane.

Never ones to shy away from dropping the kind of techno that shakes your bones, the Drop helmsmen had the floor filling up nicely for the duration of their set. So when Jody came out to cheers that shook almost as loud as the bass, the floor was nigh on at capacity and up for the mammoth three hour set that he had planned.

If you’d been listening to any of Wisternoff’s Way Out There or Intensified mixes then you would have gone in expecting a healthy dose of older school house psychedelia mixed with more progressive electronic. But nothing could have prepared you for just how seamlessly this man manages to marry the two.

Wisternoff’s signature sound was, although very much his own, still reflective of his WOW origins, albeit with a more electronica feel. His own work seems to be more about pumping out a hard and heavy bassline than revelling in the intricately technical brilliance of when the duo are together.

This is no way to diminish his technical ability in his solo work, as his wizardry in balancing the powerful bass with some finely diced riffs elevated you out of the realms of a small 21st century club, and into the better days of the 90s (and even 80s) warehouse superclubs. The aptly named Nostalgia is a track that encapsulates this mood precisely and gives you that perfect escapism that only the highest form of house music can.

At some point the lights and visuals gave out and we were left to see out the rest of the night in the dark but it certainly didn’t dissuade those who’d been waiting a long time to watch a master at work. Sadly though, Brisbane being Brisbane, the floor had largely dissipated far too early and it was only the bare bones of what had been a full club merely an hour before that remained to see Wisternoff end the night having fun with some real old school techno magic. Those of us who did stay however were treated to the kind of DJ that doesn’t come along very often; the kind of DJ that really can make you lose yourself in the music.

Spoonbill 'Zoomorphic' CD Launch @ The Step Inn, Brisbane (25/04/09)

Showing up at the Stepp Inn early in the night there looked to be more security personnel than punters. As Simulcast looked to be enjoying himself in the main room with some booming dub-orientated beats that was impossible not to bop your head to,Victor X-Ray was playing to a near empty Corner Bar with darker bass-driven dubstep.

By 11pm the place was still very sparsely populated, so many people missed Dank Morass play a nice augmented bassy set that at one stage incorporated a very dark and big beat reworking of *Thom Yorke*’s solo release Harrowdown Hill. Skipping back and forth between the main room and the corner bar, half an hour before the main man’s album launch was due to hit, Blunt Instrument had filled up the floor somewhat but it still could have done with a lot more souls and it was beginning to look like many Brisbanites had made other plans for their weekend.

Perhaps they had been wracking up their quota of cigarettes in one go outside, or hiding out under the pool tables, but like Zombies towards a shopping mall theSpoonbill fans seemed to come from nowhere and filled up the main room in moments. After a mini epic intro with as many effects and samples as you would expect from this avian maestro, the first track Woodenspoon, from the now-launched album Zoomorphic, had everyone jiving along to the unlikely but perfect blend of cartoonish kazoosynth (yes I just made that up) and slide guitar.

Spoonbill, aka Jim Moynihan’s didactic ear for producing wonderful sounds that warm the heart and move the shoulders is a criminally unrecognised and underappreciated genius that really deserves a bigger stage. Speaking of bigger stages, as finely as the Stepp Inn managed to put on such a fantastic night, Spoonbill really needs to be playing bigger venues in Brisbane. Revelers at his recent Melbourne gig were treated to the full show of visuals, live instruments and even foam props, and there’s no reason, with the right promotion, he couldn’t do the same up here. If the Über Bar couldn’t contain him over a year ago when he had both audio and visuals at his fingertips, then Stepp Inn would definitely struggle to encapsulate just how much fun you can have at a Spoonbill gig.

This, however, certainly didn’t dampen the fun that Spoonbill was evidently having armed with his mac, and so it went on with the endlessly entertaining Wonkball. It is almost impossible to dissect the technical wizardry that goes into such sample-driven songs as these. Besides, you’re too busy having fun to bother trying to figure out if you just heard a game of ping pong being used as part of the rhythm section, or from what 50s cartoons that lip-smack sample is from.

Bunkerfunk (another great name for a song) is another funky little number that was received well by the crowd, combining lyrebird melodies with a heavy bass riff, and (I’m almost positive) a nicely distorted David Byrne vocal. The skill with which such songs go from a dark and intricate brooding piece to a lilting and lazy acoustic rhythm never fails to astound, and is a joy to listen to. At the end of the set the energetic applause was well deserves, and the encore was well appreciated.

If I could describe Spoonbill’s music in one word it would have to be ‘bouncy’. Perhaps it’s the particularly cold and flu medication I’m on but I saw armies of space hoppers bopping and caroming rhythmically into each other on a bouncy castle in flashes of vibrant colours when I first heard the album, which is why it helps to have his signature visual parade during a live set. He combines the fun Mr Scruff has with his music, with the sample skills so prevalent in Coldcut’s work, with the technical superiority in an album like Amon Tobin’s Foley Room, all with a uniquely Australian feel.

Some thought went into the set times as Dank Morass had a thorough hour of bending peoples’ ears before Moynihan was due to start, and Fingerprint was billed to end half an hour after his set, to give the corner bar inhabitant some time to persuade people back to his arena after the CD launch. To their loss, unfortunately after Spoonbill had given up the reigns to Shards, most people piled out of the venue to satisfy their nicotine craving and go home. They missed a tight set by the aforementioned, who dropped some old school arcade classics as well as an appropriate and skilful use of some classic War Games samples, all layered with a healthy smattering of funky beats.

Moving back into the corner bar for the final time afforded some time to listen to the cracking sounds coming from Crooked Sound System. The emerging rare talent who dodge effortlessly between dubstep and drum n’ bass, unsurprisingly leaned towards the former and were personal corner bar highlights. Those who stayed behind to catch them certainly left feeling very thankful that they had lasted this long.

Trentemøller & Tiger Stripes @ The Family, Brisbane (12/04/09)

Trentemøller and Tiger Stripes are two very different DJs; the former has been on top of his game for the past few years, producing some wonderful remixes and being sought after by artists around the world. Tiger Stripes is a relatively recent arrival on the scene but no less impressive. It was time for the Swede to take the top deck and the Dane to lay out the beats in the main arena of the Family for a night of driving techno.

Making our way upstairs we started the night in Uncle and caught Worth DJ laying done some obese beats that already had the night kicked off with heady enthusiasm, the podiums were never empty and it was clear the crowd in Uncle were going to be up for it.Chris Wilson was making his mark on the main stage and doing a good job of keeping the punters dancing until he made way for Audun who kept the momentum up and started filling out the spaces left on the floor.

Coming on earlier than billed, Trentemøller took to the booth to a somewhat muted reception but as soon as his set started up the crowd responded in kind. The playlist for the night was certainly set to ‘random’ as he doled out some 80s reworkings and some more recent offerings. Kicking off the night was a nice instrumental edit of *The Cure*’sLullaby that led into a very effects-driven Go by Moby, one of Trentemøller’s choicest remix. It might have been dropped a little too early in the night as the previous enthusiasm began to wane, however the suggestions of a certain Richard D Jamestrack was seeping in and out of the set more fluidly than a greased up fox, and when the Trentemøller alias Run Jeremey remix of Windowlicker was finally given a going over, the crowd, the Easter Duracell Bunny, and the dancing girls all went crazy. He’d been dropping hints of it for about an hour and it was very much appreciated when the track finally hit.

All of this good work however was almost undone when Smells Like Teen Spirit blasted out of the speakers. I’m not quite sure what the explanation is for the repeated use of this by house DJs but it can grate when everyone from the Scratch Perverts to Trentemøller insist on including it in a set. Thankfully the very popular Moan made up for the previous indiscretion and we were back on track, especially when a tasty breaks modeling of The Boss’s State Trooper.

The rest of the set was taken up with some 80s classics like *Joy Division*’s Love Will Tear Us Apart and *The Eurythmics*’ Sweet Dreams, which he ended on. Before Annie Lennox’s last breath had even left the speaker, Trentemøller had his coat on and was out the door and people didn’t have a chance to catch their breath before Jason Morley & Habebe took to the decks. It was just enough time to go back to Uncle and catch the rest of Tiger Stripes, who’d successfully whipped the crowd into a frenzy with his stomping house tunes.

The energy hadn’t depleted since leaving Uncle during Trentemøller; the mini strobes and smoke were put to good use and Stripes had managed to master a big club sound with an expansive sounding set in the relatively intimate setting of Uncle. Where Trentemøller had gone for the big names, and the recognisable tracks that got a rise out of most but at times irritated others who knew what he was really capable of, Tiger Strips was all about the music for music’s sake. The piano and synth driven goodness of his techno is plain to hear and so when he asks RUFeelingMe, you respond with your feet.

Aside from the usual number of toe-crushingly hilariously tanned trotters that block the stairwells and will writhe up against anything with a pulse, the Family crowd on this particular Saturday night were surprisingly warm and receptive. The night went off well; the floors were packed, the Duracell Bunny was hopping to the beats, the dancing girls were dancing, and the music was pumping, though it could have pumped a little louder.

Fat Freddy's Drop @ The Tivoli, Brisbane (27/03/2009)

Only good things had come out of their Adelaide and Melbourne shows, so the Brisbane crowd were expecting nothing less than a very special night of funk/soul/dub/reggae goodness. The seven-piece from Wellington have been making a name for themselves as one of the tightest live bands plying their trade on either side of the Tasman at the moment. It’s clear from their earliest days that Fat Freddy’s Drop wanted to define their sound on stage rather than in the studio, which is why, after their first live release Live at the Matterhorn, it took them four years to finally give in and release the massively successful Based on a True Story. Now, another four years on, the fans are almost chewing their own arms off for the release of their second studio album Big BW.

By the size of the queue snaking its way along the outside of The Tivoli, it was going to be a busy night for the barstaff, and sure enough, as one of them later told me, they hadn’t had as busy a night as this in a long time. Rightly so; after a hugely successful UK tour where they played some big venues ala London’s Roundhouse, and the Manchester Academy, I was expecting the support a little closer to home to come out in force.

The support set the scene and had already filled out the floor when those unlucky enough to have to spend half an hour in the ATM queue finally got their drinks and made their way to the floor. That scene was one of love, as is the case at most gigs that has beautiful NZ dub on display. Couples around the venue were lost in each other and the rest of us were grooving to the chilled out mood.

Everyone united in one rapturous mass when Fat Freddy took the stage, dressed to the nines and looking smoother than warm chocolate. The crowd were almost immediately won over with the effortlessly soulful Ernie, that had people swaying all the way through the build and bouncing when the reggae climax kicked in. In fact that was the order of the night; the smooth and chilled out rise came on suddenly and then the funky peak hits and you have a room bouncing as one.

This was no better demonstrated than with arguably Fat Freddy’s biggest hit Wandering Eye that they laid down relatively early on in the set and when the instrumental climax of the track hit, much of the Tivoli bounced as one satisfied being. The seamlessness of their transitions never fails to amaze as the band don’t simply play a track, enjoy the applause, and move on. Not content with the stop/start nature of an average set, their order of songs and how they approached them reflected the liquid nature of the music.

One personal highlight of the night was a very extended version of The Nod, a song that is so crammed full of funk that you feel cooler just for being in its presence. It also gave the horn section consisting of Ho Pepa on trombone, Fulla Flash on sax, and Tony Chang on trumpet an opportunity to display their individual talents. Indeed a Fat Freddy kind of set is so laid back it gives everyone the freedom to play around with each track, whilst keeping its heart and soul still there throughout.

As never goes unnoticed at a Fat Freddy’s gig, special mention must be made to Ho Pepa, whose enthusiasm and sheer madness keeps everyone entertained. I’ve never seen a man so at one with a trombone that he can throw around in fits of maniacal dance and not smack a fellow band member in the face, a straw visor, and a blindingly gold jacket. This man is something else and shows off the possibilities of just how much you can get down with your bad self when pulling the best ‘Bad Ho Jell Roll’ moves around.

The night had had a distinctly up-tempo feel as there was very little pause for breath from track to track, but the tempo was brought down a notch or two with This Room. Fat Freddy turned it into a soaring 20 minute journey of smooth rhythms courtesy of drummer Riki Gooch, easy going and soulful bass thanks to Rio Hemopo, and production mastery at the hands of the infinitely gifted Fitchie on samples and beats and Dobie Blaze on keys.

Claimed to be their last song of the evening, everyone knew a white lie had been told and there was sustained applause and chants of “Freddy Freddy Freddy…” that would have gone all night if they hadn’t re-emerged for a beautiful rendition of Midnight Marauders. The kiwi funksters had looked like they’d been enjoying themselves all night and the encore was no different; every swayed in laid back unison and wrapped up in the evening as seemingly satisfied as the elated crowd.

It was unfortunate to not hear Roady laid down for everyone as it is possibly the most effecting when heard live, it was noticeably absent. The Tivoli had had some sound problems throughout the set so perhaps their system simply wouldn’t have been able to cope with such a fantastically powerful climax along with screams of “Fire!” coming from the backing vocals. Still, it’s impossible to fault such a solid band that are so comfortable with each other and confident in their abilities that with effortless funky soul they can produce one of the warmest and most nourishing of live sounds.

Bottom Heavy pres. Concord Dawn @ The Met, Brisbane (05/03/09)

It was going to be a long night, I knew this as soon as my eyes scrolled past the fourth act on the lineup and we still hadn’t got to the headliners yet. All in all there were going to be six acts on, which meant only one thing; by the time the night was over, you'd have lost half your body weight in sweat. I wasn’t sure what I thought of such a congregation of drum and bass being staged at The Met, but all of my fears were swept aside when I saw that they had closed everything off and left Coco the only area populated. This gave the night an intimate atmosphere. At DnB parties there are often a lot of people in a relatively small space and that’s half the fun, so this setup encouraged that kind of scene. Plus, the Coco booths are beautiful little nooks to hide away, despite what your opinion of the Met might otherwise be. So this was the most perfect use of the venue, with all the right people there listening to the right music.

Dank Morass DJs Swob and Danck were nearing the end of their set when we arrived, and it looked to have been a crowd winner as the cheers elevated, notably since the night was still so young. I had wanted to hear Danny T do what was billed a dubstep set. His origins have been in breaks and he is technically very gifted, so I wanted to catch what kind of techniques he would apply to dubstep. The result was a perfect blend of industrial grinding breaks that shook the amps with an easing, almost laidback, dubstep rhythm. The combination of these two seemingly opposite vibes resulted in a nice introduction to the night, one that was easy to bop your head to.

Then it was de la Haye and Operon’s time to shin, winning over the still relatively empty dancefloor. Bringing out their own little bit of progressive dubstep, de la Haye got the feet on the floor with a nice working of Graphic’s I Am Metal. The set was paced well enough to encourage the people to come out from the beautifully cushioned booths, all the while keeping people from going completely nuts. You could tell the crowd were going to be up for it; you don’t dedicate your Thursday night like this and not expect to let loose. De la Haye’s solid set and Operon’s well crafted tunes complimented each other, so it never felt like a ‘take-turns’ scenario. It was fluid and polished.

Sweeping aside the thought that Justus could possibly have been a Kiwi cover band of French electro Justice, I was keen to see what kind of time he and Aniki would give us for their half hour effort. It turned out to be the turning point of the night. They laid down more of a jungle vibe which moved the rhythm up a notch and started to fill out the dwindling empty spots on the floor. When a dubbed up verion of the Fugees classicReady Or Not was released, it somehow fit perfectly and had the crowd well and truly won over.

By 11.30 the floor was at capacity and even those with seats were on their feet, all thanks to beats that were dolling out energy and begging to be danced to. But it wasn’t until a Pendulum tune hit the dancefloor that people really started putting the effort in. It was undeniably a decisive moment in the night, and shifted the atmosphere, breathing new life into the people. Perfect, then, that the pace was carried on with some wonderful ragga DnB that made the room bounce as one. Erther and Dreadknowledge had the room well and truly lit, so they were prepared to keep up with the pace now set. All the more impressive, they managed to make some French Baroque sounds marry perfectly with a swift hardcore DnB base. They piled on the bass and made it run through your feet, keeping everyone on their toes for the forty five minutes they were allotted.

Finally, it was time for the act that had drawn so many people out on a school night, withConcord Dawn (aka Matt Harvey) opening to a great reception. He began somewhat modestly, but that was only to give his build up more time to nourish itself. When Broken Eyes came out it was used to its fullest effect. Concord Dawn have a great talent for giving their sound a real “live” feel, the most recent studio album used instrumentation to great effect and it’s this sound that was captured at the gig tonight, even though it’s only decks in play. Not content with just relying on Chaos by Design to carry the set, some Don’t Tell Me from 2003’s Uprising made sure nobody backed down from the floor. Those who were dancing were certainly up for it, and sometimes that’s better than having a full floor populated by lacklustre hangers-on.

At 2.20am, around five hours of dancing had been squeezed into one evening and I was almost ready to do as the song playing suggested and Fly Away Home. If only that song hadn’t been one of my favourites on the album, and a great example of liquid DnB in its own right. I cannot honestly recall exactly how the night ended due to a healthy mix of alcohol and delirium brought about by dedicating yourself to five hours of exertion at the hands of masterful drum and bass overlords. There was an all-in DJ brawl billed and whether this was a battle of turntable dubstep wizadry or an actual bloody fight to the death, I would never know… I had to afford some time for sleep so that I wouldn’t wake up the next morning a zombie. I left the die hards to their DnB battle royale and went home exhausted but freer for it.

Roni Size & Dynamite MC @ The Empire, Brisbane (21/02/09)

Scaling the Empire stairs past the dull thud of the middle bar to reach the moon bar, it was interesting to compare the atmospheres. As we arrived, de la Haye hadn’t taken long to warm up and was already filling the floor in record time. When she supportedShapeshifter last year it was clear that she had a good eye for the crowd, and in turn a good ear for the music that would fit the mood of the room perfectly. Tonight’s set was very different from what I’d heard previously, but once again it fit the atmosphere perfectly.

De la Haye had the perceptive skill and sense to realise not to blast the crowd with hardcore DnB beats too early on, instead she excelled in spending her set gearing them up for what was to come. Unfortunately that set did not last as long as it should have, as de la Haye had to make way half an hour early. I always enjoy her sets so it was particularly disappointing to have it cut short, however it proved that she didn’t need the full hour and a half to get the night started as by the time D-Ron and Freddy Phumetook over the floor was full, the heat was hot and the room was ready to go.

Along with Lincoln and MC Plush, the aforementioned provided an immense warm up, to the point where some of the more uninitiated in a night dedicated to DnB looked like they might fade before Roni even showed. Luckily such blistering sets, that only had the occasional slippery moment, were so intense they had everyone upright and moving right up until the main act. Even the stalwarts of immovability at the back were nodding their heads. For everyone else, though, the air couldn’t have gotten any thicker with anticipation, and as soon as Roni Size stepped through the door – long before he had a chance to take to the turntables – a massive cheer went up and it was time for the night to hit fifth gear.

He came out with all smiles, only briefly pausing to drink the crowd in before getting down to it. He left the vocal proceedings to Reprazent cohort Dynamite MC, who had the task of whipping the crowd into a frenzy. While Roni’s focused but relaxed face could only be seen vaguely lit up by the blue glow of his Mac laptop, it was Dynamite who really defined the gig. His lyrical skills were soundly on display and rang out through moon bar to the delight of everyone in the room. There was, of course, the old Jamrock “murder” routine that’s popular with ragga MCs around the world, but it was used to good effect here, and not so much that it got tedious. Aside from that, Dynamite was on top form and always moved with the fast-paced beats that Size was doling out.

The art of good drum and bass is that even though you may be completely knackered and feel like you can’t go on, the next swell overrides your brain telling you to sit down and recuperate, and instead it forces you back out onto the floor. Indeed, as my other half said, “You go see dance when you want to pick up, you go see dnb when you want to dance.” Roni spent his two hour set working over some old favourites, some nice new tunes and some leftfield choices, such as an interesting bassy dubstep reworking of Seven Nation Army. The focus however was on the raw energy of lashing drum and bass tracks that never let up throughout the two hours.

It is easy to see why Roni is the best of the best when it comes not only to DnB in general, but more specifically his DJing, because it was extremely difficult to leave the floor even when the parched throat needed refreshment. With a new album coming, and another Reprazent release coming also, 2009 is going to quite a year for Roni Size, and if Saturday night was anything to go by it’s going to be massive.