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REMIXERS REUNION JONNIE COMMON Mono, Glasgow, Sun 27 Nov ●●●●●
In August Jonnie Common, founder of the now defunct trio Down The Tiny Steps, released his debut album Master of None. In real terms, the event passed without a great deal of fanfare and yet critical acclaim was heaped upon Common by those lucky and astute enough to give it a listen. It’s easy to see why. A truly inspired collection of electro-acoustica-pop tunes, Master of None is an instant classic of the genre – although in Common’s hands the genre is delightfully nebulous – destined to be slow burned towards greatness. Released on respected but small budget Manchester label Red Deer Club Records – home of the enchanting Liverpool psych-folk trio Stealing Sheep – it simply doesn’t have the marketing machine behind it to get there any quicker.
This might go some way to explaining why the crowd at the launch of a limited addition remix of the album – called Hair of the Dog – was appreciative but thin. Comprising DJ sets from FOUND and The Japanese War Effort, live sets from GRNR, Dems and Ben Butler & Mousepad – with Common as curator – it featured half of the acts who contributed remixes to the album.
Also on display was a series of prints by the Glasgow illustrator and graphic designer David Galletly, who provided the artwork for the albums; and an interactive sound installation created by Common and sustainable design company Zero Waste Design, which allows users to mix the elements of Master of Nonethemselves.
Billed as ‘a whole weekend of showing off’, there
was a strong sense of showmanship to the whole event, something that’s so often missing from music that, well, largely involves twiddling stuff, albeit it in a highly skilled way. Common is an engaging personality whose flair
for the quirky and playful comes across on stage as strongly as it does on record. Joining the Stereolab influenced GRNR for the dazzling ‘Bed Bugs’, a mash up of guitar, electronica and brass, Common performed his unique accent-inflected spoken word-rap. His voice, unassuming in tone, is a wonderfully versatile instrument: rhythmically precise and thrusting, although on this occasion the lyrics failed to cut through the general cacophony.
London-based Dems (who contributed the ‘Infinitea’ remix) followed with a short but succinct set of their trademark soulful electronic pop layered with utterly heartbreaking melodies. The evening was brought to a crushing, pulsating close by Ben Butler & Mousepad (maker of Common’s ‘Hand- Hand’ remix).
Common returned to the stage, a ball of energy, effusive in his praise for his collaborators and brimming with an infectious confidence and enthusiasm for the project. Long may it continue. (Rachel Devine)
FOLK ROCK JOSH T PEARSON Oran Mor, Glasgow, Tue 22 Nov ●●●●● HIP HOP DJ SHADOW O2 ABC, Glasgow, Mon 5 Dec ●●●●●
With little fanfare, Texan Josh T Pearson drifts onstage. The crowd erupts. He takes his time before asking, ‘Whaddya think, jacket on or jacket off?’ A chuckle ripples through the punters. ‘You ladies always wanna “jacket off”.’ He cracks a smile. He has a remarkable gift of making his crowd feel at ease, taking the edge off his own daunting task of entertaining everyone. Like a haggard country gent, he slides into ‘Sweetheart, I Ain’t Your Christ’, a song that steals the breath from every pair of lungs, leaving only the sound of pints being pulled in the background. Following with ‘Woman, When I’ve Raised Hell’ it’s an emotional gut-punch, and one hell of an opener. Pearson no doubt breaks countless hearts as he weaves his way across the fretboard, stirring up intense flurries of finger-picked beauty. Lurching in and out of small, suspenseful silences – it takes the crowd a second to ensure he’s finally done before showing their immense gratitude.
If it weren’t for his jokes, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were going to leave an emotional wreck. Powerful and utterly entertaining. (Ryan Drever) Read a longer version at list.co.uk.
For innovation and impact, genre-mashing LA turntablist DJ Shadow, aka Josh Davis, has never bettered his samples-based 1996 debut Endtroducing . . . But his visually stunning live shows still break new ground, and prove DJ sets can still be an arresting spectacle. This tour in support of new album The Less You Know, the Better sees Davis perform inside a 10- foot orb akin to a mini Star Wars Death Star – onto which video artist Mike Dorrie projects a captivating stream of playful imagery – we got bloody chainsaws and exploding cartoons of celebs from Boyle to Bieber; the sphere became the Earth, then a basketball, then the actual Death Star (big cheer). Davis was hidden until the globe spun around to reveal him scratching away at his hi-tech decks – proof he wasn’t just sitting in there playing solitaire. ‘Building Steam With a Grain of Salt’s’ spooky piano predictably got the biggest cheer in a set that cut’n’pasted crunching metal guitars, soulful female vocals and queasy, rumbling sub-bass. The surprising lack of dancing we’ll take as testament to just how mesmerising this audio- visual experience was. (Malcolm Jack)
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TUAREG GROOVES GROUP INERANE / FLOWER CORSANO DUO Kinning Park Complex, Glasgow, Fri 2 Dec ●●●●●
This was always going to be special: two of the most transcendent groups (on earth?) in a bohemian Victorian school turned artists’ studio. The crowd is not disappointed. Mick Flower and Chris Corsano mesmerise with blissful, psychedelic, free jazz drumming, buzzing drones and wild mercury ragas from an electric dulcimer. Dressed in traditional Tuareg tunics, Niger’s
Group Inerane are an immediately striking presence. Shorn of label Sublime Frequencies’ trademark in-the-red production, they sound less raw than on record. But this clarity only intensifies the power of their uncoiling riffs and ecstatic rhythms. Leader Bib Ahmed pulls Hendrix moves, playing guitar behind his head without fluffing a note, while bassist Abdulai Sidi Mohamed maintains subtle grooves that gain momentum with every repetition. Their secret weapon is drummer Mohamed Atchinguel, working polyrhythmic fills and funky off-beats around a rock-solid centre. The urge to dance is irresistible. Corsano calls them the greatest band in the world. On this form, it’s hard to argue. (Stewart Smith)
MINIMAL TECHNO PLASTIKMAN LIVE 1.5 Barrowland, Glasgow, Sat 3 Dec ●●●●●
An abundance of older faces in the Barrowlands crowd suggests many could well have been present for Richie Hawtin’s first appearance there; a DJ set for Pure’s Hogmanay celebrations in 1994. How things have changed. Returning under his Plastikman guise for his
sold-out ‘Live 1.5’ UK tour, this time he’s backed by ten light and sound technicians for a show that spectacularly redefines what we should expect from a live set by a techno artist. Initially, Hawtin is barely visible, in a cage-like structure onstage, but the darkness is broken as lines of red and white LED rise and fall across its curved surface, rippling and snapping in perfect synch with the foreboding tones of opener, ‘Ask Yourself’.
Eyes and ears are kept equally enthralled as the LED wall throbs and flashes in strobes, utterly in time with the Canadian producer’s heavily edited, minimal, acid-tinged set, ably balancing experimentation with the needs of the dancefloor.
Eventually stepping out to man a lectern-like
controller, he delivers the none too disappointing finale of ‘Spastik’ to delirious scenes, begging the question – how can Plastikman ‘Live 2.0’ hope to top this? (Colin Chapman)
15 Dec 2011–5 Jan 2012 THE LIST 95