ELECTRONIC Layo & Bushwacka! Glasgow: QMU, Sat ll Mar.
A dark and dirty, break-filled and electro-infused long player, Law Life was rated album of the month in the majority of the music magazines when it was released in November of last year. Some of the more sensationalist scribblers in the music industry have even gone so far as to say that it's the ground-breaking album Leftfield's Rhythm and Stealth should have been. With such high praise then, it's no surprise that its producers, Layo & Bushwacka! are being touted as the epitome of cool or that influential underground DJ, producer and remixer, Mr C had a large part to play in bringing the two DJs together.
In 1995, Layo Paskin and Mr C opened The End, a concept venue that would combine high aesthetics with a superior sound system and pioneer the fusion of British underground house with American techno. It was in the lounge of The End’s flagship night, Subterrain,
that Matthew Bushwacka! B and
Layo first started to create their hybrid sound based on breakbeats, electro and the darker recesses of house, a sound that Layo is keen to
differentiate from the nu-skool breaks played by the
likes of Rennie Pilgrem.
'We're not part of that nu skool breaks scene at all. Our influences are much more across the board; hip hop, house, drum & bass, trip hop and techno. In terms of tempo, breakbeat has a lot more scope. A breakbeat can be 90bpms or 170bpms and still sound great but the 4/4 beat doesn't really give you that range. I felt that dance albums can be quite monotonous, with track after track of dancefloor beats, but if you change the speed you can change the mood and that allows people to flow
with the music a lot more.‘
Reaching the audience is clearly a priority for the innovative duo, as Layo says: ‘We were DJs long before we were pruducers.‘ As a result, they are practically
They can take a beating: Layo 8: Bushwacka!
evangelical in their
programme to promote the future
sound of UK breaks and will continue to tour
Their forthcoming particularly looking
Arches. I really like great energy.’
extensively before they return to the studio later this year to record their second album.
date with Justin Robertson, James
Holroyd and the Slam residents in Glasgow is one Layo’s
forward to. ’I really like coming to
Glasgow. I played there two years ago with Mr C at The
all the Soma lot too, Glasgow’s got
The boys will be bringing along some special effects
units to keep things interesting and Layo anticipates
(Catherine Bromley)
JAZZ
Martin Taylor's Spirit Of Django
Edinburgh: Queen's Hall, Fri 3 Mar.
Martin Taylor has been closely associated with the music of both Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli for longer than he probably cares to remember. The guitarist’s excellent Spirit Of Django, a band which
Creative spirit: Martin Taylor
includes the great Jack Ernblow provrng that jazz is perfectly possible on the accordion, has been one of the most impressive of all the fruits of that association, and it is good to see that Taylor’s recent shift in direction has not meant an end to the project.
The shift in question came With his signing to Sony last year, making ham the first British jazz artist to jorn the American major in many a long day. It
that it will be ’very funky, quite tough and quite abstract with a keen eye on the dancefloor at all times.’
preview MUSIO Exposure
Every fortnight, we spotlight musical innovators. This issue: local live showcase for new music: The Star Club.
The Star Club — presumably a bunch of astronomers sitting around chin stroking and discussing the latest Hubble telescope pictures? Ho ho, stop it you daftie, my sides may split. It's actually a new fortnightly musical evening at The Attic in Edinburgh on Mondays.
What's the gen? Well, it’s a forum for live acts to show off their musical wares in a somewhat more relaxed environment than the usual crappy Edinburgh gigs.
What sort of music can we expect? Virtually anything, apparently. ’I want everything from folk to punk,’ explains Star Club organiser, Dean Owens. ’The only criteria is that it has to be good.’ Seems fair enough. Hang fire — Dean Owens? Isn't that the fella who fronts alternative country band, The Felsons? Aah, I see you’ve been doing yer homework, spot on. In fact, one of the reasons behind him starting The Star Club was to promote his new act, Marble Star, who are the resident band for the evenings.
Does that mean The Felsons are kaput then? Far from it, matey. Marble Star is simply an outlet for The Felsons to explore a more rock ’n' roll side to their music. Dean and the lads intend keeping both on the go.
Two bands and a club? That's just greedy innit? Leave the boy alone, he’s domg a fine job, it’s about time someone sorted out the Edinburgh live music scene. ’l wanted it to be a place where people could come once a fortnight and hang out and support each other,’ says Owens. ’Edinburgh’s needed something like this for ages.’ So who's played thus far? Since it started up in January, there’s been a
i wealth of promising local talent as well
ended a long relationship with the Eagleslram-based Linn Records, but represented a huge opportunity for the guitarist to expand his audience, especially lll the USA. The first disc under the new deal, Kiss And Tell, appeared late last year with a mixed cast of American players.
’We recorded the album in New York and in Nashville, which is a place | visit quite a lot, and it was all very relaxed,’ explains Taylor. ’For my first album with them I felt that I needed to present a cross-section of what I did, and there are things that are definitely designed to be radio friendly, because airplay is crucial over there What I wanted to avoid was the album ending up just a jumble, but I felt that it actually sounded like an album, even though it has a lot of le'ClSO stuff on it’
ll.e principal reason for that is Taylor l.rrnzt:lf. llis fluid, inventive guitar work I) the thread which ties the disc Itgetlrei‘, plu‘.rdlllg the bridge between the more commercial cuts and the harder jazz sides like Joey Caldarazzo’s 't‘lnlnzght \.’oyage’, wrth Randy Brecker on trumpet and a rhythm team of Eddie (June; and Al loster.
(Kenny l."lallll€:50fl)
as some bigger names, like ex-BMX Bandit Duglas Stewart and Gordon Grahame, previously of the Lost Soul Band. Just don’t expect any ordinary performances. Owens sums up the Star Club attitude: ’I really want acts to experiment a wee bit. Bands should be prepared to just get up and play.’ (Doug Johnstone)
Bel/weather, Midas and Marble Star play The Star Club on Mon 73 Mar.
2—16 Mar 2000 THE LIST 41