Another Ninja Tune club night flyer from the shoe box. I think I attended this. Remember Roots Manuva anyway. Got some photos somewhere…Did you attend? If so leave a comment below.
London
Trevor Jackson’s – F O R M A T – exhibition
The Trevor Jackson revival is on! Yep, the designer, music producer, film maker, one time record label owner and Playgroup man is back. Last week saw the release of ‘F O R M A T’ his new album. A unique art project where each of the 12 tracks have been released across 12 formats ranging from 12″ vinyl to 8-track cartridge and reel to reel tape.
To celebrate the launch a very short exhibition was held in Soho, London. The location to be precise was the lower level of the multi-storey car park on Brewer Street.
One darkened room was set aside and featured 12 plinths, each with 2 pairs of headphones, where you could listen to each track whilst watching the format play before you. A spinning 12″ vinyl, a rotating cassette, the volume meters on an eight track or the visual patterns from iTunes and a USB. All beautifully shot on corresponding short films.
The formats were available to buy. The 12″ vinyl being the most popular, mainly because it was the most affordable. A framed reel to reel was something like £2500. I came away with nothing other then the urge to hear the whole album in full as soon as possible.
In the meantime you’ll just have to make do with re-educating yourselves on all things Trevor Jackson. Like the time he took a full page ad out in Vice to have a moan / dig at his artists. Read that and have a listen to some music from Output Recordings, his old label.
All Under One Roof Raving
Sweet memories…
Archive :: Full Cycle Records @ The End flyers 1998 / 2000
More old flyers from the shoebox archive. This time a couple of postcard flyers from the Full Cycle Records night down at The End. Above Full Cycle Records and special guest played the sound of Bristol & drum n’ bass in the main room on the 30/01/98 whilst Weird Beats Collective had the lounge with Andrea Parker (Mo Wax) as their guest.
A couple of years later in 2000 the Room 1 Full Cycle line up included Roni Size, Krust, Die, Suv, Dynamite MC, Splash, D Product, whilst Room 2 played host to the sound of the new decade with Skitz, Riski, One Cut, The General. Hip hop, funk and soul.
Did you attend a Full Cycle Records night at The End? If so leave your memories in the comments. In the meantime here’s some Krust.
No helmets, no lycra, but a cool electro theme! Cycling in the 80’s!
No helmets, no lycra, but a cool electro theme! Cycling in 80’s London. Showing you that nothing really changes and the safety issues remain the same today.
The Orb Return To Brixton
After 25 years The Orb star is broken and battle scarred, but this coming Saturday it lands at the Electric Brixton for an all-nighter featuring Bomb The Bass and Banco De Gaia. Tempted to purchase a ticket.
In the meantime I found this video of Alex Patterson talking about The Adventures Beyond The Ultraworld album on the Living Albums website.
Listen: The Orb – The Orb – History Of The Future
Listen: Banco De Gaia – Live at Glastonbury
Got a light mate? Bar matches before the smoking ban.
Key, Kings Cross – N1
The Social, Little Portland Street, W1W
The Social, Little Portland Street, W1W
The Social, Little Portland Street, W1W
Cargo, Rivington Street, EC2A
The Social, Little Portland Street, W1W
The End, West Central Street, WC1
The Scala, Pentonville Road, N1
Ruby Lounge, Caledonian Road, N1
Keston Lodge, Upper Street, N1
The Social, Little Portland Street, W1W
2012 playlists catch up…March / April / May
We need to catch up…
Photographed on the way back from getting chips one Friday a few months ago. Original artwork by: http://brokenfingaz.com/
Archive: MARK B & BLADE @ The Mean Fiddler, London, 2001
2012: Setting the scene. Last week someone called up at work asking for a number for a label I deal with on a weekly basis. While I was looking for it, the caller started asking me about what was selling, how they used to have a big collection of records. Then they said they used to be a rapper. “Oh yeah” I asked, “what name did you record under?”
“Blade” was their reply. “No way!” was mine.
Here was the gig I reviewed 11 years ago…
MARK B & BLADE @ The Mean Fiddler, London 24/01/01
Re-located from the meaner streets of Harlesden, the Mean Fiddler has replaced the LA2 on Charing Cross Road, the scene of the nights revolution. And with ‘The Unknown’ getting heavy rotation on every show short of Radio 2, Mark B & Blade are in the building for a hostile takeover.
Warming up the pre-fight beers are the Mixologists, your average turntablists who are cutting everything up from KRS 1 getting digital with Goldie to the slightly worrying refrains of ‘when the crowd say bo! Selecta’. Slight technical hitches don’t prevent them getting the crowd worked up ready, teasing us all with the stabs of ‘Simon Says’ and other gems from the past and present.
Next up Phi Life Cypher step it up a gear, throwing it down hard despite their plea for food and money as they “ain’t eaten for 8 days”. These herbalists know how to rock the crowd and their humour and free-style section is one of the highlights of the night. “I can see clearly now the crack smokes gone. Its gonna be a bright – bright weed smoking day” is their message to all the crack heads out there.
Human beatbox and the host for the evening Killa Kela, must go down on record as the loudest performance of the night. Alongside DJ Plus One the beats rain down from his mouth and its definitely heavy artillery all round. Not too sure about the singing though! Plus One cuts it up nicely as the crowd wait for the main bout.
Its taken along time but finally Mark B and Blade are here. Opening up with ‘From The Word Lab’ even initial turntable problems for Mark can’t dampen the high spirits on stage. “I can’t believe we get this, on the most important night of my life!” Blade calls, asking for the assistance of Kela once more. But we’re back on. Alongside Plus One the duo rock the crowd with the likes of ‘One Shark One Piranha’, ‘Hostile Takeover’ (minus Westwood), ‘Ya Don’t See The Signs’ and for ‘The Long Awaited’ Skinnyman joins in the mayhem on stage.
“You gonna catch me?” Blade asks before jumping into the crowd for some surfing.
Back on stage its the turn of his son to do the same. “My boy saw a video of me surfing and he wants a go” cries Blade before his son goes surfing not once but about 3 times, finishing off the first time with a demand to throw Lucozade (before dad steps in with the water) on the crowd.
Before ‘Ya Don’t See The Signs’ Blade demands a “memory I can take to the grave” and after, sitting up on the decks he confesses to getting a bit emotional with the crowds reaction, and why not. The past support slots from everyone from KRS1 to Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine are over and the hard work have paid off.
“Man I’ve been waiting for that response for 12 years” shouts Blade as the crowd show their appreciation, “Maybe I won’t have to sign on every other week now.” The biggest response is of course to ‘The Unknown’ that hopefully should have dented the Top 75 before you read this. Finishing with the ‘Survival Of The Hardest Working,’ its nearly 10 years since the release of the LP of the same name, the fan financed records and Blade and company are definitely loving every minute of it.
Like Blade states through out the evening its a truly great moment for UK hip hop and the start of something bigger. Taskforce round off the night as the cream of the UK scene stand together on one stage. The atmosphere on and off stage is amazing and the venue has sold out showing the possibilities of the what can be achieved if the mainstream press and radio start supporting the home grown talent.
Like The Sex Pistols at the 100 Club, Mark B & Blade at the Mean Fiddler 24/01/01 will be one of the gigs where the amount of people to say they attended, in years to come, will easily exceed the actual capacity of the venue. “Yeah I was there in ’77 or ’88 might easily be replaced with “yeah I was there in 2001”.
Words: Des Berry
Listen: Mark B & Blade – The Unknown
www.consultthismusic.co.uk 
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