Tag Archives: DJ Krush

dB Magazine, Event, Review

DJ Krush & Freq Nasty @ Black Cat

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Black Cat is a great little club, and now that Traffic has closed it’s sure to get a lot more business. DJ Krush was my first experience of an international DJ at the place, and there’s one thing that stands out about the place – it needs better sound! The sound on this night was all over the shop, and it really impacted on many people’s enjoyment of the night.

I got there early in order to see the New Pollutants, who were their crazy selves. The crowd seemed to be full of chin strokers and wallflowers, so Mr Speed utilised the wireless mic by running out into the audience and singing, dancing and generally being mischievous with us, bringing us out of our shell. Next up were a group called Devine Interruption and going by their debut performance they are going to get very far. Consisting of a DJ, beat manipulator and MC, these guys performed a range of tunes down tempo to banging in vibe. Utilising both the MC and pre-recorded lyrics, they got many a head nodding, and even some booty shaking.

It was during their set that the sound started to go wonky, and, whilst the MC was beating himself up for it afterwards, they did a very good in dealing with it, especially for their first show. I’ve got to say I was unimpressed by the next few DJs. Sure, I was waiting for Krush, but these guys just didn’t grab me in any particular way. Muksrat on the other hand, after some technical problems trying to find a decent mic for himself, and then a second mic, he busted it out in his own inimitable style.

Krush stepped up next, drawing even more people onto the dancefloor, and the master of the scratch played a set that blew most of us away. Using normal scratch techniques through a filter, he played some atmospheric beats that slowly built up and up, then turned mighty tasty, with just a hint of dnb style, but without being anything but hiphop. Like last time I saw Krush, I only knew two tunes, a Krush tune and DJ Shadow tune, and truthfully, I loved it! There’s nothing better than hearing a true master play tunes that you’ve never heard before.

Attaché stepped after Krush, sounding muddy as all hell, and it was quite a let down after Krush. What I could hear was really interesting as there’s not many Adelaide people making music like that, and it was kind of a shame to hear it played with bad sound. When Freq Nasty stepped up, the crowd had thinned noticeably – it was a school night after all – but the volume was excessive and made more people leave. Once they turned the damn system down, it was evident that most of the damage had already been done as there were only about 70 people left, however most were getting down to the Freq sound, which was good to see. Freq Nasty played lots of dark breaks and a few bootlegs, the AC/DC thunderstruck one being one of the highlights.

Event, inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

DJ Krush Minke / Skylab

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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.