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Hemlock Tavern August 24, 2002 - early 7pm show Review by Jake Thomas I really love early shows, because you get the combination of hearing live music and having the rest of your evening free for other pursuits; and it's all the much better when that early show is one of the best things you've seen in a long time. I wasn't totally sure what to expect from this show. I was somewhat familiar with Dœlek's first release 'Negro Necro Nekros', which reminded me of DJ Shadow, but add vocals. I got to the show at six, and it was still light outside, which is always a strange feeling. When I got there, I noticed that the group that was supposed to be playing with Dœlek was erased from the chalkboard, which was fine by me - I had another show to go to after this one anyways. After I paid my five dollars, I walked in and saw Daz enjoying the alcoholic beverage of her choice. We chatted for a while, and I took note of the scene - the stage was set up with a the prerequisite two turntables and a microphone, plus a laptop and some sort of mixer-synthesizer-knob twiddler thingy. The crowd was sparse, maybe 15 or 20 people there, not counting the group or the Hemlock staff. This was due to the fact that the show was a rather last minute add on, and advertising was sparse at best. Then the music started. To say that I was blown away would be the understatement of the year. Someone told me their new sound was very noisy, very reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine - and they weren't lying. It had that type of sound that washes over you, envelops you, and leaves a mean ringing in your ears if you're not dutifully prepared for the whole racket. Add to this the beats from the producer Oktopus, the dj bits and pieces from Still, and Dœlek's rhyming, and you have a cacophonous, harmonious, delirious mess that was truly music to my ears. And on the topic of the dj, Still - he is by far the most original dj I have ever seen, doing things I've never seen anyone else do. Not only did he scratch the records in typical fashion that most people have seen many times, he would also scratch the needle back and forth across the grooves of the record, not unlike strumming a guitar. Undoubtedly, this must ruin the needle and the record, but the sounds that it produced were amazing. He had his whole dj setup running through a bunch of pedals as if he were a guitar player - distortion, reverb, who knows what else? At more than one point during the show, instead of using the needle to play music, he would lift the arm of the record player up to his mouth and blow into it, producing more noise for their layered sound. It was truly incredible. Most of the tracks they played were of the newer stuff, making me immediately go up and buy the cd after the show was over. Towards the end of the set, this weird, drunken guy in a Russian hockey shirt showed up, and stood right in front of the band while everyone else was sitting around the peripheral, and clapped at really inappropriate times. But he seemed to be enjoying himself, and it was because of his heckling of the band that they play more that we got an encore. So thank you, drunken Russian hockey shirt guy. For their encore they played 'Swollen Tongue Bums', probably their best track from their first release. Needless to say, I'm an instant fan of these guys. Next time they come through town, do whatever is necessary to make sure you're at the show. These guys deserve an audience, and your ears deserve the pleasure of hearing them. Oh yeah, buy the new record too, 'From the Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots.' Hip hop has never sounded so good to these ears. --- Read our Dœlek review (with photos) from November 16, 2001 ©2002 playinginfog.com |