Gigs + newness = immersion
- Badger
- Feb 24, 2019
- 3 min read
I've been away from the blog for several months for various reasons, and it's given me a chance to discover some superb new music along the way, especially in the Ambient, Experimental, Techno, Dub and Breakbeat genres.
More of that later.
I have also had the privilege in the last few months of seeing The Field at Corsica Studios in November and Orbital + Plaid at the O2 Academy Bristol in December.
Neither disappointed and for very different reasons. The Field has established a place in my playlist on account of the swaying beautiful sounds of Axel Willner's ambient techno pieces, which through complex overlays and hypnotic repetition are very engaging. Live, it was a similar experience. Check out his new album, Infinite Moment
Orbital had been one of those much coveted "must see them live" situations I had missed over the years, but as Phil and Paul Hartnoll came together to create and release the absolutely spectacular (and back to their peak of '90's form) Monsters Exist, their tour - which coincided with a 30th anniversary of the group - was not to be missed.
Plaid came first and created the kind of atmosphere with a run through some of their own repertoire that makes Ed Handley and Andy Turner (also of The Black Dog) worthy of a listen, and the crowd responded accordingly.
A good place to start with Plaid is 2014's superb Reachy Prints, in which Turner and Handley create some of the most dense textures and patterns of their career and the pace of the album is totally on point, even shifting between styles seamlessly.
I will describe Orbital's set by saying what I did on Instagram after the gig: "It's only taken a mere 25 years of fandom but the Hartnoll brothers and I finally crossed paths tonight for the first time, and of course it wasn't disappointing. Thumping set, total control of the crowd and a euphoria only created by the best at what they do, and they're still it. My skeleton is vibrating, I'm totally deaf and I haven't stopped moving in 2 hours. Amazing."
Set list:
1. Intro (Professor Brian Cox)
2. Monsters Exist
3. There Will Come A Time (We Will Die Mix)
4. Impact (The Earth Is Burning)
5. P. H. U. K.
6. Wonky
7. Tiny Foldable Cities
8. Satan
9. Hoo Hoo Ha Ha
10. Halcyon + On + On
11. Vision OnE
12. Belfast
Encore
13. The End Is Nigh
14. Doctor?
15. Chime
16. Where Is It Going?
17. Lush 3
The last 3 months have also been some of the most productive in terms of plundering new music. I say new; I mean new for me and in some cases many of the artists I have discovered for myself for the first time have been producing for years. It's just great to be able to take linear (and sometimes very non-linear) routes from associated genres or artists you like to something that seems truly unique and awesome.
Thanks to AOTY, Allmusic, Discogs and Resident Advisor for having fantastic sources of information I can plunder, cross-reference and be truly inspired by.
My standout album listens of the last 3 months are:
Hope you all have the chance to dive into these and enjoy them as much as I have.
As ever, I'd love to hear feedback on the blog and comments posted at the bottom would also be welcome as I love recommendations for artists, albums and gigs alike.
Badger x
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