Internet, Live Transmission...

 

Back for the third time at Dubrek!

Last week saw Libby and I hurtle (speed cameras permitting) back over the Pennines again towards Derby and the revered Dubrek Studio for our third performance there, this time for the second birthday livestream. Ably led as usual by Marjorie the Satnav, we avoided most of the traffic to arrive bang on time, and even found a free parking space right outside the venue.

Google Maps (A.K.A Marjorie, because why not?) also has the ability to tell you when to set off for a gig. Save the destination on your phone and as the dreaded hour approaches, tap it to load it every so often, and it will calculate the current best route and give you an estimated time of arrival. At teatime, as rush hour subsides, the journey time tends to fall, but the time of arrival tends to remain the same until the optimum time to leave, when the arrival time begins to get slightly later. This is the best time to leave, so load up the car, get the tunes on, and go and have some fun.

And fun is definitely what we had in Derby. After meeting a few mates, Joe Zux and Lee Greatorex to name but two, we settled down for the evening's entertainment.

Adam P McCready is a new name to me, but I was really enjoying his laid back sound when a sudden burst of pop-oriented chord-led energy pushed through, reminding me of the kind of juxtaposition beloved of Royksopp. A very joyful set. 

Adam P McCready with a joyful set.

Lester Sanders treated us to a set of hard as nails minimal techno that would be perfect for a festival crowd. Lots of breakdowns, syncopated sounds shifting between rhythms, and small riffs coming in and out. You can always tell a performer who was "there" back in the day, and I'd be very surprised if Lester didn't spend his youth clubbing hard.

An original raver by the sound of things: Lester Sanders

Pulses, (A.K.A Chris Kilometres) was a different kettle of fish entirely. Doom-laden, yet very danceable, he mixed ambient textures with a bass from Hell and first class beats and breakbeats, and pivots between styles keept things fresh. A very accomplished sound.

A very accomplished sound from Pulses

Andy Cooper in the disguise of Project Emptyhead boasted some gorgeous synth hardware, including the lovely Arturia Matrixbrute and an electric double bass. His set is fast, furious, and with tonnes of ideas that push the music along, reminiscent to my ears of an instrumental Underworld at their most pumping. Big chords, builds, beautiful progressions, and even a diversion into 80s goth pop. With that live bass underpinning the sound, it was a lush experience.

Project Emptyhead: A great sound, live double bass and some of the sexiest synths I've seen in a long time.

Next up was Juddaman (Steve Sutton)who normally plays as part of Flesh Eating Foundation. His partner in rhyme couldn't make it, so he performed solo. Dark, ambient landscapes gave way to slow, industrial beats and slowly delayed vocals and effects that put me in mind of DJ Food's work with David Byrne in the early 90s, notably Fuzzy Freaky. He completed the set with a more industrial sound but with no less anger in the vocals. 

Juddaman, whose unrehearsed set due to unforeseen circumstances was still a triumph

The next act was something of a rare treat. Conscious Divinity literally walked in with a beat they'd made in Garage Band on an iPad, plugged in and went for it. Boy, I'm glad they did. Harmonies, rapping, truth, anger, all wrapped up in one rather excellently written song. If they were nervous, it didn't show. It looked like they were having lots of fun. It's not what you use to make music, but what you do with it that counts, and I think this duo counts. If that was the opener to their collaboration, I can't wait to see what else they come up with next. 

Conscious Divinity: a walk up act with a bright future

We were next and with some trepidation because after I plugged in and loaded up Ableton, I noticed there was no MIDI coming in. Eeek! I unplugged the keyboard and plugged it back in again, and it came up, but it was quite a moment. So, the big grins at the end were relief. We seemed to go down well in the room, and there were some nice comments on the lives

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Phew! Made it through the set with a dodgy connection!

I first saw Drrrkbeats at Bleep last month, and he does not disappoint. He has a powerful sound that builds and builds, with overtones of Massive Attack but so much more. I don't think the livestream really does him justice. It's a massive, dense, bass heavy, orchestral sound. I could listen to a lot of this.

Drrkbeats with his dark, dense, powerfully orchestral sound.

 

And finally, Flash Cassette with his slick 80's inspired electro-funk sound. Lots of Herbie Hancock-style solos, and fills. I got Jan Hammer, Shakatak, Harold Faltermeyer and a dozen others. Great to dance to. The guy can play. Simon Greatbach, look out! 

Flash Cassette taking us back to the days of 80s electro-funk.

And then it was time to hurtle back over the Pennines. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and was also introduced to Guinness 0.0 by Joe Zux. It's rather nice stuff. If you had it by mistake, you'd know, but if you're driving, it's just the ticket! 

Beery burps that pass the breathalyser test!

You can listen to the whole livestream here