Time Can Be Rewritten

Photography: Matt Wash

Daedelus

13th April 2012
Village Underground, London 

First published in Clash Music Online on 17th April 2012

History is a strange beast. The interpretation of the past and its re-appropriation for the present is an unwieldy science often at the mercy of the shifting whims of fashion. Few understand this better than Los Angeles’s Daedelus. With his name taking inspiration from Greek mythos, his Victorian Dandy fashion sense and reputation as pioneer in the use of cutting edge sequencing and lighting rigs, Daedelus has carefully curated an aesthetic for both his sound and image that is genre transcending and timeless. He comes to these shores rarely and tonight, those in the know are in for a special treat: Daedelus will showcase his unique brand of Retro-futuristic electronica in a one night only performance at Shoreditch’s Village Underground.

The audience for tonight’s event is modest in size but this hardly seems to matter. The space for people to move freely produces a warm and relaxed ambience and there is an air of restive anticipation coupled with smug satisfaction from those present. It is only his second ever UK performance after all, and those in attendance are all too aware of the reported spectacle that is to come.

Like a centrifuge, Daedelus dials up the velocity until the beats and samples are oscillating at the limits of celerity and compulsion

The atmosphere turns electric as Daedelus takes to the stage. Wearing a red and black 19^th century dinner jacket and bathed in blue lights he begins by looping luxurious synthesized lines over a steady dub beat.  It’s a gentle start but before long the speed and intensity builds upwards, ushering the crowd to move with gathering momentum. Like a centrifuge, he dials up the velocity until the beats and samples are oscillating at the limits of celerity and compulsion.

The overall aesthetic is one of a mad Steampunk professor toying insanely with a warped spaceship console, drawing to mind visions of an acid house Doctor Who

The visual spectacle is as consuming as the music. Backed by his dazzling ‘Archimedes’ rig (a diamond formation of pivoting mirrors), Daedelus cavorts with his sequencers, gyrating his body in robotic movements as he mixes. The overall aesthetic is one of a mad Steampunk professor toying insanely with a warped spaceship console. It draws to mind visions of an acid house Doctor Who flying an out of control TARDIS and in that respect, there is a quintessential Englishness to the performance that belies the artist’s American heritage.

Musically, the story is the same. His depth of influence is unrivalled in its eclecticism, incorporating a staggeringly vast array of genres and eras.  He veers from electro rave, through the grime of dubstep and into the heart of hip-hop with elements of jazz and everything else mixed in between.  The rapid-fire samples are so finely crafted in amongst the heavily layered textures that most pass completely under the radar.

Where many before have strayed too far across the line of avant-garde experimentalism, Daedelus has taken everyone in the room on the journey with him

But despite the seeming chaos, Daedelus has everything under complete control.  He moulds the sounds and works the audience expertly and by the end of the set the whole crowd are moving in unison. Where many before have strayed too far across the line of avant-garde experimentalism, Daedelus has taken everyone in the room on the journey with him. He has perfectly matched mass immediacy with rebellious individualism and appears as the crazy lost brother of 2ManyDJs, who could not be contained within their rigid pop structures and broke loose to furrow his own way.

The final flourish is exultant and at the close Daedelus appears genuinely moved and humbled by the adulation that is before him. As an artist whose work embraces a genre-rich patchwork of musical chronology, one cannot help feeling that history should reward this by recording him as one of the finest EDM performers of the early 21st Century. At the very least the few who were at Village Underground on Friday will certainly attest to the historical significance of what they witnessed.

Photography courtesy of Matt Wash

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Posted by drAnalog,
20 April 2012, 9:02 pm
Filed under: Music, Reviews and tagged Clash Music, Daedelus, Ninja Tune, Soundcrash, Steampunk, Village Underground

Full Throttle

Photography: Matt Wash

Clark

7th April 2012
Village Underground, London 

First published in Clash Music Online on 10th April 2012

Chris ‘Clark’ is not an artist known for being particularly prolific. With the majority of his releases taking three years in the making there is a tendency to forget about this veteran of the IDM scene in between offerings.  However, given the quality of 2009’s ‘Totems Flare’, Clark’s latest album ‘Iradelphic’ has been received with much expectation and there is certainly an eager air of anticipation at Shoreditch’s Village Underground for tonight’s launch.

The album launch party can be a strange beast though. One would be forgiven for expecting it to be a showcase of the new album in all its shiny glory. But all too often this tends to be a misnomer and with the stage set for a straight-down-the-line individual performance where the album contains all manner of acoustic elements it would appear tonight may fall into that category.

Where others have drifted Clark gets straight to the point

The crowd is keeping their part of the bargain at least. There is a real party mood in the venue with the largely young audience getting high on life (or anything else they can get their hands on) during the support, which includes a solid set from the ever-dependable Nathan Fake.  Next up is a somewhat underwhelming performance from duo Leatherette, originally billed below Fake but elevated on the night. One cannot help but feel that the original scheduling would have been more effective, but it is no matter.  There really is only one man we are all here to see tonight and that is confirmed by the rapturous welcome he receives on entry to the stage.

Immediately the tempo is raised both literally and metaphorically as a chorus of reverb drenched Moog Voyager synth lines are smashed apart by a thunderous off-kilter beat and rib cage shattering bass. Where others have drifted Clark gets straight to the point.

Heads rock with more intensity and arms flail with more verve as Clarke controls the ebb and flow of the rhythms like a seasoned lion tamer wowing the circus crowds

The crowd embraces it head on and there is now an energy in the room that has not been present for the previous few hours.  Heads rock with more intensity and arms flail with more verve as Clarke controls the ebb and flow of the rhythms like a seasoned lion tamer wowing the circus crowds.

As things progress though, it is notable that the set really does not bare much resemblance to the new record at all. In fairness it is hardly a surprise. ‘Iradelphic’ is a stunningly eclectic and textured piece obviously requiring the addition of live elements to the setup for it be realised in full. It is difficult to imagine how it will integrate into future sets without a radical rethink of Clark’s approach to his live performance and tonight is seemingly not the night he has chosen to take on that particular challenge.

The venue is ideally suited to the choral echoes of the electronic bleeps and tweets strung together with earthy growling low ends

This sidestep doesn’t detract from the quality of proceedings though. Clark produces a performance of the highest calibre pitched perfectly for the surroundings. The venue is ideally suited to the choral echoes of the electronic bleeps and tweets strung together with earthy growling low ends.  The brick lined walls and high vaulted ceiling giving the sound space to grow into and by the end of the rather short hour timeslot there is a definite sense of longing for more.

Clark is undoubtedly as vital as he ever was and is fast becoming one of Warp’s most important assets, but tonight is a party set and nothing more. His triumph is obvious, but equally one cannot help feeling a sense of what might have been. The question of whether he can deliver the undoubted potential ‘Iradelphic’ suggests, is one that remains open to future examination.

Photography courtesy of Matt Wash

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Posted by drAnalog,
17 April 2012, 12:17 pm
Filed under: Music, Reviews and tagged Clark, Clash Music, IDM, Iradelphic, Village Underground, Warp