13/05/03
My expectations for this gig weren’t too high, as it was a Tuesday night as well as being on the night before Grand Master Flash. I expected a small, intimate crowd at Minke, and I expected it to be downstairs as, although Sky Lab has a much better sound system, upstairs looks so desolate with few people in it. Imagine my surprise as it was quite a packed out gig, with a very impressive sized crowd for a hiphop night on a Tuesday in Adelaide.

I’ve seen Krush twice before, once at Vibes on a (not so) Summer’s day, where the venue changed at the last minute due to rain storms, and on NYE 1999/2000. Although his music is usually quite different from the traditional notions of hiphop, the last times he has played here I thought that he was good, although rather unadventurous. For example, on NYE he started playing his weirder triphop styled stuff, but then switched to old school to get the crowd moving.

Kim Dezen warmed the crowd up with an excellent set of party breaks, getting the people up and dancing, although it was very obvious that we were all waiting for Krush. Krush came on at about 12:45am, which is in my mind a little too late for a DJ to start on a Tuesday night, but the crowd was still packed on the dance floor when he came, so maybe that belief is just because I’m getting old.

From the first track, I knew we were in for something completely different, both in terms of how I’ve seen Krush play in the past, and also how hiphop is usually represented. Firstly, apart from about 3 tunes, I knew none of what he played. And I wasn’t the only one asking, “Where the hell does he get his stuff?” afterwards. Usually hiphop DJ’s play classics to get the crowd going, but not Krush. Krush played a set of new and different stuff, things that we will probably not hear again unless we see Krush here again soon.

The next thing that was remarkable was his scratching. He uses the echo effects to produce spooky, discordant sounds, and echoes the beats to produce a new beat, which he then combines with the beat of the next tune. This wall of noise captures and augments the mood. That mood being one that is dark and powerful, but without being menacing. When I interviewed Krush, he said that September 11 had a deep impact on his music, and I think it really does show. There was a sense of trepidation to the sounds of his music, but it was more of a warning than a threat. It’s deep, dark, powerful and cerebral. It takes you to places that other hiphop, and most other music doesn’t.

I normally don’t wank on like this in reviews, but something about what he played and the way he played it forces and encourages me to. There are very few things I have seen or heard to compare to what and how he played, and I am more than pleased I witnessed it, and that so many others were there to enjoy something completely different, intriguing and inspiring. Adelaide needs more of this type of thing to happen here, we’ve missed out on far too many good, alternative dance and hiphop acts in the past. Hopefully the success of this night, and the brilliance of Krush’s set will encourage promoters to take risks a little more and have faith in an Adelaide crowd.