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dB Magazine, Event, Review

DJ Z-Trip & the Life Savas @ Traffic on Friday 10 Dec

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We rocked up to a fairly busy and newly renovated traffic at around the same time that the Life Savas were getting ready to play, after an apology from Delta for him and Kim Dezen for not playing. I was a bit disappointed, as Kim and Delta rock it well, but that disappointment soon disappeared as Jumbo the Garbageman, Vursatyl the style warrior, and Reverend Rayzon Shines of the Life Savas jumped up on stage. Their hiphop is much in the Quannum style – quite funky, and very party. The crowd warmed to them quickly, and before we knew it we were all yelling, putting our hands in the air, and singing along. I was quite surprised to realise I knew more than a few of their tracks – God bless the Dutch Massive on Radio Adelaide and Triple J’s Hiphop show.

I’m not sure what the 200 strong crowd were expecting from Z-Trip, but really, nothing could have prepared anyone for what happened next. I have seen a lot of DJs, old school and new school hiphop, rave and dance, and even a couple of video DJs, but I have to say that this is one of the best sets I have ever witnessed. From the moment he mixed Janis Joplin’s Mercedes Benz with DJ Shadow’s Walkie Talkie we were in for an amazing night of music and mixing. Z-Trip is one of the original cut up, mash-up DJs, and although he despises the term, that’s exactly what he does on two turntables, 2 CDDJs and a sampler.

We were to witness his incredible “45 set” where he plays a bunch of 7-inch records, all cut up really fast. As he explained, he toured with Shadow and Cut Chemist, the kings of the funk 45, and because he couldn’t compete, he developed his own version using rock and roll records. So we were hearing The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and AC/DC played as if they were funk 45s by a DJ who is every bit as talented as Shadow and Cut Chemist. His 45 set makes you realise that there’s so much more that can be done with music and turntables, and makes most other DJs look like a joke. And as he kept saying over the mic, “don’t get it twisted – it is still hiphop!”

We also witnessed Midnight Oil blended with Michael Jackson, with Z-Trip tapping the beats on the sampler, giving the Oils a much more funkified sound. Other times a record would play, and he’d scratch in the beats, keeping them time by constantly pushing the record, then pulling it back and cutting it up. He played Credence Clear Water, juggled Eric B & Rakim’s Paid in Full and then dropped some drum and bass in the form of Who Told You and Twist Em Out. People in the crowd were going mental, just looking at each other and going “Oh My God!” It was simply unbelievable, as these kinds of music shouldn’t be played like this, they simply shouldn’t work together, but they did, and they rocked the crowd in a big way. After the gig, nearly everybody bought a copy of his Live in LA CD, and clamoured up to get their copy signed. I reiterate, this was the best set I have ever seen, and every single person in traffic left feeling that way.

Event, inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

DJ Hype @ Traffic

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I was excited for this event, as I have wanted to see Hype for about 8 years now. And anyone who knows me will tell you I am not a very excitable person. Time and time again Hype has teased us with threats of coming, only to fall foul of some circumstance or another. This time I was taking no chances, listening to the gossip on message boards and so forth, waiting to hear “he’s not coming!” But, on Friday afternoon there was still no signs of him not showing up, and I was as giddy as a school girl, excited with the possibility of hearing a DJ who is renown for his skills in scratching and mixing.

I rocked up at Traffic early, eager to hear what the local boys would play to set the mood. Boy, was I in for a shock! Noddy played some of the what is in my opinion some of the worst dnb music I’ve ever heard. Normally I enjoy his sets, but this set was not one of them. I don’t know how to describe it… ‘wobbly’ is what someone said, and that’s an apt description. The pace was up and down, cheesy and hard, then cheesy AND hard.

MC Mennan was warbling over the tracks, and I really think someone needs to teach him about the value of silence. An MC should flow with the music, not go hell for leather all the time. I didn’t find Mark 7 to be any better, following Noddy’s “go hard or go home” mentality, which had more than a few people head for the door. At least Mark had MC Xpress alongside him, but to me the sound from these two DJs was more like the cacophony of Satan’s choir than the dnb I used to know and love.

Luckily John Doe stepped up after them, and pulled the pace back a bit, even playing a few tunes that I knew, and restored a little of my faith in dnb. A lot of people said afterwards that it was one of his best dnb sets, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. Every time I’ve seen him play Breaks he seems to get better and better, and I can’t see why it would be any different with dnb.

When Hype stepped up, I wasn’t exactly anticipating a good show; people had mentioned it would be in the same style as Noddy and Mark 7, and that had me worried. But I had waited 8 years after all, and although expectations can be rather high after that length of time, I’m happy to say I wasn’t totally disappointed. He played very well, and played lots of tunes which, if not remixes of older tunes, contained certain elements of the older tunes that sparked recognition and happiness in my disappointed state.

His scratching was good, but I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more. It wasn’t as creative as it could have been. Other DJs like Marky scratch in the forthcoming tune; Hype just scratched a sample record, from the sounds of it. Still, he accompanied the sound very well, enhancing it and making it more than just a gimmick. And speaking of great accompaniment, MC Rage was simply fabulous. Excellent rhymes, good voice and timing, and had every one, errr hyped!

Reviewing can be tricky. You want to remain objective and open, but there are times when every thing you write seems negative and puts things in a bad light. I do not want to do this, because I like dnb, and have the utmost respect for the DJs that I heard play. Both Noddy and Mark are unquestionably talented, and know how to rock a party. However, I was quite disappointed with the music the local DJs, to the point where I’m questioning if I should review dnb events anymore. So, if you thought Noddy and Mark 7 were the bomb, maybe you should sign up for reviews and do them, instead of getting this tired, jaded old raver to do them.

Event, inthemix.com.au, Review, Writing

Lee Coombs @ Traffic, Adelaide

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13/06/2003
After a little soiree for one of Ribbon’s drum and bass friends, where, incidentally DJ Khem played a cool dnb set, but people didn’t start dancing until Jayar dropped some funky breaks, we headed off to Traffic where the crowd was thin but the beats were Phat!

Jaywalker was playing a tidy set of new school beats mixed in with his now trademarked funky breakbeat, such as the corker of a tune Set Free, by Clubriders. Going back to back with Tiger, they played as the crowd slowly got bigger and got boozed up, and ventured out onto the dance floor. The crowd that wasn’t moving soon was as John Doe stepped up to the decks and played one of the best set’s I’ve heard him do. Cutting between tunes, dropping little samples, and playing some fantastic tunes, such as the Adam Freeland remix of Nirvana’s nevermind, he proved his worth as Adelaide’s best dnb / breaks DJ.

Surprisingly, the crowd had grown considerably, and the dancefloor was packed when Lee Coombs stepped up to the decks. Starting off with a remix of New Order’s Crystal that wasn’t the Lee Coombs remix released last year, but still cranked, he took us on an incredible ride through New School Breaks. At first, I was a little disappointed, because I was expecting more of a tribal breaks set, but Coombs is not a man who likes to be pigeonholed.

His mix was much more dancefloor orientated, and he understands how to really move a crowd. Each track he played just got better and better, each outshining the last. Tune wise there were so many of his own remixes, mixed with his own new tunes, such as machine, plus old favourites like Two Men on a Trip, my head is still spinning! Added to this is the amazingly smooth mixing Coombs achieves seemingly without any effort, he created one of the most amazing New School Breaks set’s I’ve heard this year.

The only bad thing about the night was the sound level. It was deafening! We left before the end of Coombs’ set because we were afraid of losing our hearing. I’m still saying “what” a lot when people are talking to me! However, it was a fantastic night, showcasing the best Adelaide has to offer alongside the World’s best, and shows that, finally, the breaks scene in Adelaide is getting bigger and better.