With Warp Records on the bill, the First North American tour for Warp’s Nesh Session (a regular event in the UK hosted by Warp), the turnout couldn’t have been better. An impeccable and high-quality range of artists from around the country to as far as the UK joined in ELM’s hosting of Warp:Nesh Saturday, August 3, 2002. Names like Luke Vibert, Dntel, Richard Devine, DJ Ease (Nightmares on Wax), Jamie Lidell (1/2 Super_Collider), Prefuse 73 and several other’s simply could not be passed up, and when such an event makes it’s way through North America, it’s truly an important moment in electronic music history networking people together for such an enjoyable gathering (even though the temperature was rather high).
Having kicked off at around 9 PM with two floors of beat-throbbing electrical musicalities, it was a tough decision having to select from who to see when two artists played simultaneously –(ie) Luke Vibert and Richard Devine. How do you choose between the two? And do you really want to make your way through hundreds of people from one end of the room, up the stairs to the other end of the room? While several people continually packed this relatively small two-floor venue in an Industrial district of L.A. from around 9pm-12am, The Mobius would be a decent place to host such an event had there been better circulation. Other than that, it’s not too often that you get a chance to see/hear so many talented artists creating such a bass-driven and punchy vibe that has you moving on your feet for several hours.
Jamie Lidell (1/2 Super_Collider) produced a stunning performance of danceable yet funky lyrical grooves, including samples from Michael Jackson and a truly inspiring show (while Luke Vibert watched in the background). It had people laughing, dancing and clapping until an encore was in line.. and he provided the crowds with a mix of funky and soulful grooves bringing many smiles to peoples faces. Dntel, who’s work on the California based Phthalo label has generated quite a stir in the experimental electronic scene, made an impact during their appearance at Warp:Nesh. Playing the guitar with a (Violin) bow, and generating some smooth ambient frequencies with an accordian, Dntel pleased the audience with a thick layer of abstract sound-escapes that were thoroughly enjoyable and relaxing from start to end.
Trying to make it to the 2nd floor of this already over-crowded event had its benefits. While at times the frantic drum’n bass sounds of Sote (new Warp signing) splashed through the bass-bins with finesse, Luke Vibert, DJ Ease (Nightmares on Wax) and Prefuse 73 slowed down the vibe with ultra-wide beats coming to a near stop while the crowd danced and tried to make their way to the nearest room-fan. Luke Vibert’s set was packed with his uniquely stripped down beats and propelling rhythms while he sat behind a laptop with one hand on the keyboard and the other grasping a cigarette. The hip-hop/clip-hop/d’n b grooves of the upper level seemed more like a chill-out/lounge to relax in before taking on more of the head-funk vs. abstract sonic assaults of the 1st floor’s magnetic attraction.
Chris Clark took the stage behind a pair of turntables (or were they CD-mixers?) shortly after Jamie Lidell’s appealing appearance. While sorting through some CD’s and fiddling with a few knobs under a pair of headphones, he casually introduced the crowd with a collage of low-end frequencies and subtle snaps soon leading into a full-on experiment in sound creation and deconstruction. His show didn’t seem to last too long before Mark Bell (LFO) made his presence known and brought the avidly tuned in and rather excited crowd a hypnotic mix of techno/house behind a pair of turntables.
One of the highlights of the night had to be Richard Devine (Schematic/Warp). Squawked over a folding table with a pair of warmed up and cued G4 laptops connected to an array of mangled cables, Richard Devine produced one of the night’s best musical performances. At times you could just feel the energy feeding off Devine’s push-button approach and concentrated look. [The Experimental Liquor Museum (ELM Conceptions) continually provided very obscure and attractive video/graphics on a large screen located directly behind the front stage while each artist performed. This complimented each performance with a visual display of abstraction that truly manifested the art of music vs. visuals]. But this time around, while Richard Devine magnetically created deep basslines and some of the sharpest percussive movements, ELM’s visuals couldn’t have been more on target. Shards of electrical debris floating blissfully in the air while layers of flying pixilated boxes spun around the screen made for a truly entertaining experience while this talented musician from Florida continually etched a path through IDM, electro and ambience with relative ease. Richard Devine’s encore couldn’t have come at a better time, either –While the crowd remained in a state of euphoria anticipating the continuation of Richard’s set, it took a couple minutes before the sounds flowed back through the speakers and one of the most pleasantly laid out ambient pieces closed this set perfectly. It’s truly evident that Richard had a good time playing out in L.A., his smile and sincere thank-you said it all.
3 AM rolled by rather quickly while RD prepared the turntables for what proved to be an enjoyable and danceable mix of bass-driven & mind-boggling electro/IDM. Could it have been the Squarepusher remix that pleased the attentive crowd or his unique ability to mix tracks in such a manner that defy categorization? Nonetheless, it was a pleasing listen even with the crowd cheering “RD, RD, RD” in the background. Another that can’t be excluded is the ever so talented DJ Ease aka Nightmares on Wax who launched some sublime rhythms in a break-beat fashion on two turntables.
With all the artists featured at Warp:Nesh, 85% of the them played behind a laptop, while the others either had turntables and the rest using conventional instruments such as Guitar, Accordian, mixers, Mic’s that you would typically see at a concert. While electronic based musicians progress with the musical platforms they use to create their unique frequencies, how entertaining can it really be to watch someone punch away on a laptop? Is it something the spectators need to accept? While each concert/event gracefully adopts this direction in musical performances, it’s interesting to see that audiences have learnt to accept the music for the sheer quality of the sound that is produced rather than the visual display of that particular sound. Warp:Nesh managed to display bits and pieces of both worlds where instruments collide with a digital platforms integrating music with high-end computer systems. The final word essentially is that the music is the integral part of a performance –some might disagree, some might agree but it’s the magnitude and quality of the music that keeps the audience in tune to the rhythms and this show made that point very clear audibly and visually.
Considered a success by most, Warp:Nesh truly displayed the best in electronic music from one extreme to the next. Having probably sold over 3-400 tickets in a venue that couldn’t support so many people, the ELM curators sure know how to put on a great show. With Warp Records’ stimulating roster of talent and the crowds of people that lined the event, it won’t be any surprise to see Warp:Nesh make another appearance next year in North America and abroad. We’ll be there to support it next time as well..
