- Back in the '90s, things used to be so much clearer: The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy were definitely dance, Blur and Radiohead were definitely indie bands. Advancing technology and consumer appetites for new sounds, though, have brought these two halves together, and, as familiar as this discussion sounds, there are still surprises to be had. Dancefloor-slanted bands like Bloc Party and the Klaxons are old hat, but on the other hand, there are underground club producers like Trentemøller and Booka Shade widening the spectrum of live electronic music from too-familiar DJ and knobs-and-buttons antics.
Having been disappointed with Trentemøller's London performance last year, I was slightly skeptical about whether Get Physical's top cats could produce the goods. Would their soulful, danceable riffs, tight grooves and excellent taste for lush, classic yet fresh sounds translate appropriately into a live setting?
The night started off promisingly with warm-up DJ duo The Fix's warm, riff-driven house. But this night belonged to Booka Shade. For those wondering, 'Mandarine Girl', 'Darko', 'In White Rooms', and 'Body Language' were, thankfully, not eschewed in the name of being subversive, and each one was received with raucous cheers and sing-along da-da-da's. (The lads helpfully made efforts to slip in the riffs from the side, which worked the audience up to great effect.) And yes, all the yummy ingredients were there from the records. However, this performance was about so much more. From the moment they slammed in with driving tech beats and Booka Shade logo started to morph in the background, it was clear that they knew how to combine the best elements of a club experience with the excitement of a live band.
Unlike Trentemøller, they performed the whole show as one continuous set, building up, breaking down and coming in again with a new mood in a way that suggested world class experience behind the decks. Crisp, well-balanced and hard-hitting drums, played live on electronic pads were well-balanced, ranging from solid funk to rolling techno. The sense of enjoyment that they were feeling was obvious; at one point drummer Arno Kammermeier was up in front of the crowd, soaking up the cheers like a '70s rock god.
All this, as well as the continuous jubilant whooping of an expectant audience, added up to, in my opinion, one of the most enjoyable concerts I have ever been to (and I've been to a lot). If I had to nitpick, I might suggest that the live aspect did not go far enough—the duo only had a drum kit and, occasionally, a keyboard. But that's one for next time.
I'm sure that with such acts leading the way, it will, within a few years, become fairly normal for producers to be putting on live shows (obviously with starry-eyed childhood dreams of being in a band). Let's only hope they can do it with as much talent and passion as these two.