never quite know what you are going to get with him. When I do my own show. the emphasis is on duh and what I do is set up the studio on the stage and mix and
remix live. With Lee. the vocal is)
more up there.
To some extent. people might think he is an inlluence musically but not so much on me. It’s not always easy to see where his influence is apparent on first view in others but I’m sure its there. He seems pretty much on his own. out there. He's definitely a one-off. Very cool.
A fan who has also DJed at Perry’s appearance in Scoflandlastyean
Most people love Lee I’ 'rry for his phenomenal and somewhat eccentric stage presence. I do too. but why he is so important to me is for his furthering of sonic possibilities. The term ‘genius’ is bandied about far too easily with reference to music but if anyone is deserving of this accolade it is Mr P irry. What he accomplished in the 70s on the most basic of equipment is absolutely staggering and it’s gone on to have an all-pe 'asive influence on nearly all forms of leftlield music in the 2lst century.
I always wonder if the pushing of the sonic boundary leads to madness or if the madness is the muse. Joe Meek. Phil Spector. Brian Wilson and Lee I’ ‘rry are all giants of sound and all clearly have problems in the sanity department. Whatever. Lee I’ 'rry has had a profound influence on how I hear music (go listen to Super Ape now!) and l bow down at the altar that is his mixing desk.
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Mad Professor play The Forum, _ Aberdeen, Fri 27 Apr; Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Sat 28 Apr; Renfrew Ferry, Glasgow, Sun 29 Apr.
Twitch also DJs at Glasgow School Of Art, Fri 27 Apr and Renfrew Ferry, Glasgow, Sun 29 Apr.
David Katz’s book People Funny Boy is published by Payback Press. Adrian Sherwood’s Pressure Sounds label can be found at www.pressure.co.uk
14 THE LIST :‘os Apt to M... L’t‘utl
TURNTABLEIVIANNERS
After chart-attacking pop bands and arty TV shows, Pulp’s JARVIS COCKER and STEVE MACKEY have extended their repertoire with their debut Scottish turntable
assault. Tim Abrahams
If Pulp‘s soon—to-be released new album turns out to be a disappointment. it won‘t be a surprise to some people. liven to the most hardened of Pulp fans. the re-recordings. tIL‘Iity's and changes of producer give the as-y‘et- unnamed album an air of unfamiliar turmoil about it. Sure. its predecessor This Is l/(ll'tlt‘iil't‘. was actually about having a crisis and founder member Russell Senior had left the band prior to its recording. but artistically it was as focused as its own forbear A Different (lass. despite being less of a money-spinner.
It may have something to do with the strange tales of bizarre side projects that keep emerging from the Pulp camp. Not only have rumours gone round that Jarvis (‘ocker had been pencilled in to direct the screen adaptation of Harland Miller's rites of passage novel Slow Down Arthur. Stick 7}) Thirty. but he had previously been seen presenting films on outsider art for Channel 4 and appearing on the judging panel of the Beck's Futures Art show.
Musically. there were strange portents as well. Last June. C‘ocker and Steve Mackey played a set with glass harmonica player Alisdair Malloy at Scott Walker‘s Meltdown
liestiyal. It all sounded as it (‘ockcr and co were finally losing touch with the common people and becoming the art-school dilettanles we always feared they might be.
Of course. we shouldn‘t be too hasty. The members of I’ulp haye always thriyed on returning to the band after their own conceptual side projects. Way back in I‘ISS. (‘ocker studied l'ilm at St Martin's (‘ollege It was an important moye. not only because it would rhyme nicely with the word 'knowledge‘ when he came to w rite '(‘ommon l’eople' bill because it giyes all this arting-about a history within the band. ’I‘his latest e\ctirsion into the world of l).ling is nothing new for I’qu members. (itiitarisi .\lark \Vebber runs a night at London‘s I(’.\ featuring ctilt films followed by noisy music while .\Iackey and ('ocker haye united frequently to DJ as well.
Their most memorable turntable performance was a guest slot on Radio I where they littered their show with times by ('abaret Voltaire. Young Marble (iiants and The Idiot Brothers. 'l‘hey not only featured a competition for listeners to send in tracks that they thought sounded better ttt the wrong speed. Iitlt they exhibited turntable skills of stich ineptitude as to make John Peel sound like Jon I)igweed.
Mackey ttlttI (‘ocker are more e\perienced now. they should hay e fewer distractions and be revelling in the knowledge that the new album. produced by Scott \Valker. is finally in the bag.
Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey DJ at Optimo (Espacio) at Planet Peach, Glasgow, Sun 29 Apr.
VORSPRUNGDECKTECHNIQUE
As if one wasn’t enough, tripTych has got together two of techno’s originators for some four-deck action. One of their number, DERRICK MAY gives us a history lesson. Jack Mottram
the (‘hicago club scene were busy morphing disco into house intisic. a trio of teenagers in Detroit were taking dance music in a very different direction. Juan Atkins started the ball rolling. and Key in Saunderson brought dancefioor nous to the party. In the middle of the triumvirate was Derrick May. whose early releases. like ‘Nude Photo' and ‘Strings Of Life‘ were among the first records of the techno genre.
‘It's the old story: Kevin. myself and Juan.‘ May explains. ‘Juan introduced me to the music when I was about fifteen and we just had these aspirations and dreams to make this music. With the sound. our concept and our intent was to make serious music. In Chicago they were making club music.We were trying to be
While the luminaries of
visionaries. trying to make cerebral music for the future.‘
This serious approach confined the nascent techno to its hometown. until liuropean music fans found music they could talk about it as well as dance to it. May actually found it tricky coming to terms with the world—wide esplosion in entliusiasm for his art.
‘.’\t the same time it was funny. having all these concepts applied to out llitlsie.‘ he Iiotes. '.'\ lot of these theories are very nice. bill for its it was just the way we felt. and we didn’t really get caught up in all these concepts until other people pointed them out. We have an unconscious agenda of always making serious dance music. and that comes through in the sound. btit it was never based on theories and concepts as people like to think.‘
After that first rush of creativity. .\lay released mtisic in dribs and drabs. eyentually turning his back on production. On their \isit to Scotland. May and Saunderson will arm themselves with four turntables and a clutch of those tunes that has seen them remain among the leaders in the techno school of sound. May's overly modest philosophy toward I)Jing is simple. "I‘m trying to expand my hori/ons until I feel I can contribute something to dance musicf
Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson play at Pure, Studio 24, Edinburgh, Fri 27 Apr.