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Published: 29 March 2008

Well, this could go either way...I found out with 2 days notice that 2ManyDJ's are playing at Volar as part of the 8th Par-Ici French night. It's probably too late to get hold of Nick W. at hkclubbing to get me in, so I'll try leaving a card at Volar and see if that works. The staff should remember me from earlier gigs that I've reviewed. The card is dropped off and so far so...

I've arrived at Volar at about 2315 and am pleased to see Nick W. and Manek in the queue outside. Hang with the heavies, that's my motto. It seems to work as I sneak in with the gang and find my usual front-line seat/table. The hkclubbing crew walk through an exit door to who knows where and that's the last I see of them! The place is filling up rapidly. Not surprising as these French nights are getting a great "got-to-be-there" vibe. Voltage, the VJ (who I've failed to credit properly in previous reviews, mainly because no one would tell me his name) is on fine form. Seems to have revamped his visuals extensively. He's on the left, the main CD decks etc are in the middle and a laptop is in pole position on the right. Pierre, one of the main organisers of tonight's show, is getting ready to blow some minds.
 
His set is freak/orch/electronics with a Gallic flavour. The music ranges from hammered strings to d n' b percussive beats through waves of looping, phasing and pitchshifting to men-in-white-coats-lab-electronics. I can hear Hawkwind, The (BBC) Radiophonic Workshop, Tonto's Expanding Headband in the mix. Weird, but very effective. Like hearing Kraftwerk do Krunk. Or Motorhead mixing Mozart and Motown. Offbeat ideas coalescing, colliding, merging and melting into the mix. Don't know any of the tunes at all, but no matter. It's a beautiful bedlam of beats. The visuals do their part. Ovoid earths spinning, giant hands clapping. 3-D candy striped computer hearts pumping in time. Binocular vision and split screens with wireframe geometric shapes tumbling and turning. And the colours are riots of lysergic neon.

It's near the end of Pierre's set and a lovely lady called Jane(?) asks what I'm writing as I've managed to pique the interest of Stephane and David, the Belgian brothers who are 2MDJ's and Soulwax. I'm invited into the VIP lounge and have a pleasant chat with Stephane (a fellow beardie!). I tell him not to get worried if not many people dance. It's a smallish club and getting very crowded and most big gigs I've been to in HK never have more than 30% dancing at any one time. The people who want to see this gig are pretty much already inside (although reports indicate a large crowd is gathering outside as well). I meet Kiwi Matt, who is clued up on 2MDJ's back-catalogue and helps me with the odd song now and then. The champagne is a babbly-bubbly bonus. It's near 0100 and the big screen comes down as the boys prepare to play.

It's manic on stage as Stephane and David start their set. Pierre is videoing it. DJ No:Mad is next to him, along with 6-7 cuties. Matt and I are just off stage with a good view. Ladies are dancing on the catwalk at the front of the stage. 2MDJ's play an excellent eclectic mix, grounded in rock rhythms (although they're mostly electronic). Here's a snippet of Bowie's "Rebel, Rebel" over a thunderous d n' b beat. Cartoon squelches of sleazy electronica bleep and burp in and out of the mix. There are Duane Eddy cybertwang guitar riffs and 80's robotic keyboards leavened with hints of electro-disco. Matt tells me on a good night, you can expect to hear Pseudo Echo, Husker Du, The Ramones and The Clash all mashed up. Sure enough, a section of "Rock the Casbah" by The Clash is dropped within minutes of his prediction. Stephan and David are speedy as well. They play about 2-3 minutes each, or about 3 tunes before swapping places. From where I'm sitting, I can see a phenomenal amount of knob twiddling, lever flicking and sliding faders. FX buttons are punched. The whole performance is a hyper-kinetic, but controlled ballet. I'm impressed and I'm about to get even more so...

It's about halfway through their 2-hour show. The front ten rows are going mental. Cecile, who is Pierre's wife, hands David a CD cover from an anonymous fan near the front. He's just come off duty and is sorting through his CD holdall case for his next selections. He's given the CD to sign and promptly stops searching to write a small message. No super-ego vibe like "Don't-bother-me-now-I've-only-got-87-seconds-to-find-my-tunes-and-get-back-on-the-decks". No super-ego looks of disbelief like he's been asked to write an autograph in his own phlegm. No, he signs (a fellow leftie!), puts it down for Stephane to do likewise, finds his CD's and returns to the mixer, pretty much on the beat. Stephane is equally gracious a few moments later. He signs, hands it to Cecile who gives it back to the anonymous punter. That was very classy and cool, guys. A little vignette, but very telling. For me, it elevated my enjoyment. The free champagne helped of course....

About 80% of the tunes have passed me by, but I do recognise a few. A great remix of "Out Of Space" by The Prodigy slams into a re-working of "Emerge" by FisherSpooner. There was a little tease sample of "Sweet Dreams" by The Eurhythmics and a slightly longer blast of "Don't You Want Me" by Human League. A little later is the old psyche-punk song "I Can Only Give You Everything" I have versions of this at home by Naz Nomad/Nightmares (aka The Damned) and The Chocolate Watch Band. Can't quite work out who's singing. David tells me later that it's Van (the Man) Morrison/Them. Jawdropping stuff. Some of the vocals are almost helium. Alvin and the Chipmunks go to a rave. Matt tells me the boys are giving their back catalogue a real pummelling tonight. All too soon, it ends.

No:Mad has taken over the DJ decks. His set includes a slightly different version of "Out of Space" with a sort of cockernee vibe to the vocals. He's a good friend/protege of Pierre and his set falls neatly between Pierrre's way-outness and 2MDJ's arena-friendly sound.

No:Mad is a bit more prog-trance with interesting electronics and his set grows smoothly. Overall, an excellent night and you can colour me French for future monthly gigs.

As I leave Volar, I'm thinking about the rumours that Clockenflap will do another big show in November. On the strength of this show, I can see them as late night headliners, no problem. How about it guys? Maybe you can bring Soulwax along as well? Double the fun. In closing, I'd like to say it was a pleasure and a privilege to meet you both. Hope you enjoyed the CD's I slipped you. Here's to next time in HK. Be like an alligator sandwich and make it snappy. Until then....

Review by Nick L.

Photos of the night can be found here:

 http://www.hkclubbing.com/option,com_zoom/Itemid,132/catid,425.html

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Published: 10 March 2008

Santana attracted a full house of enthusiastic fans of all ages.

Carlos Santana greeted the Hong Kong audience with the statement that he had enjoyed every visit to Hong Kong since he held his first concert here in 1973 . He went on to ask the audience to go and spread kindness and compassion and make the girls in their lives happy: mothers, wives, girlfriends, daughters – and he hoped he  would make everyone happy with his music.

All members of the band were soloists in their own right and they went on to prove this throughout the evening: The trumpet and the trombone-players as well as the three drummers. There were three drum sets on stage, including bongo drums, and the drum solos were outstanding.

The excellent vocalists inspired the audience to jump up and dance to tunes like Mariah.

Carlos Santana  had 8 guitars on stage which he changed constantly  and he played his solos with a passion and a skill  which would be hard to find anywhere else in the world.

The screen at the back of the stage showed footage of former concerts mixed with live shots.

A fantastic night out for fans of Santana at the Asia World Expo Centre at Chep Lap Kok!

Review by Chris W.

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Published: 07 March 2008

Pier Pressure Party with El Destroyo and DP - 16-2-2008
 
Ho hum, another Saturday night (and I just got paid. Gonna spend it all and I ain't gonna save) Well, I'm going to spend about $200 anyway to get to/from Central and admission to Lamma Pier Party # 2 (that I've attended). The previous gig featured Snoblind. This time round, it's DP (newly recovered from the excesses of Clockenflap) and El Destroyo. All in all, there are 5 powerhouse musos and a laptop DJ providing the soundtrack for tonight's thrills, spills and brain-bursting hangovers. Stalwart Sam is the trusty Gatekeeper once again. He's keeping Andy company. Ross is running around elsewhere. The stage has been moved halfway down the pier floor and is facing Central. The Beer Bay bar is at right angles. It's warmer than the previous effort, tho' the weather is still chilly. I foresee some serious assaults on the hot mulled wine tonight. Good Work lovely liquor ladies!

I've arrived by the mixing desk, left side of the stage and have snaffled a seat to watch the action and scribble some scrawls. Ross has told me to pay attention to the beardy folkie who is currently performing "Mother"by Pink Floyd. His name is Jerry Cappadonna and he's an opera singer at the Venetian in Macao. He comes to HK most week-ends and is a welcome performer at the LKFLive/PierPressure nights. Jerry, it was a pleasure to listen to you. You sing with a sincerity and gravitas that demands attention and you have quite an electic range of tunes. Aside from a couple of other Pink Floyd ditties, the set comprised "Send Me On My Way" by Rusted Root and "Both Hands" by Ani Difranco. There was an original song called "Drift Away". Bob Seger got a look in with "Turn The Page" and Jerry concluded with "Hurt" by Trent Reznor (NIN). He's a "travelling man" - covered most of the USA and recently got married in Cambodia. Great meeting you Jerry and look forward to your next appearance.
   
There's a short pause of about a week (or so it seems) while El Destroyo set up. This swampadelic, hellzapopping, rockabilly trio have been making large splashes in the local sonic scene for several months now. They have a cool fanbase of support with no obvious inbreds, geeks, freaks and simples. Maggie (who also plays in Bone Table) is the bassist. Tunje is a fluid, unflashy drummer who really rocks. Dean rules supreme on the guitar. Link Wray rumble runs. Twangadelic guitar blasts that recall Dick Dale in all his vim/vibrato finery coupled with Duane Eddy langour. A mighty blond punky quiff that wouldn't sit uneasily on Paul Simenon's noggin. And there are the tunes...
   
Several searing instrumentals with spacy Shadows style solos, flowing down a "Pipeline" to my rapidly warming inner brain. Voodoo surf's up folks! A couple of numbers from Brian Seltzer - the T.C. of Stray Cats. An old Johnny Cash number called "Sam Hall" is warmly acknowledged. I still don't know if he did it or indeed, what it was he may or may not have did. And Dean isn't telling either. Meanwhile, John Hutton is tiring me out, just watching him jitterbugging with Dean's better half Annie(?). That much fun is almost illegal, surely? The crowd has swelled to about 150 people by now. Luke Chow is digging the vibe. His band Hungry Ghost will feature at an upcoming Pier Party, possibly in April. Dave and Paul are out on the fringes, keeping their strength up through copious quaffing. The final tune by El Destroyo is their party piece. It's called :Stringbuster" and while not literally living up to the title, it does mutate in a Frankenstinian way through several styles and tempos to a rousing and deserved round of applause.
  
The laptop DJ is back for another month-long tour of duty. Even Lamma time passes inexorably and eventually and I'm hoping DP won't Delay Performance for much longer. The legless Lamma Posse has a ferry to catch at 0030 and it's 0012 by the time DP start to Drum and Pluck. The set follows the same sort of running order as at Clockenflap, although Dave has a new mutant axe - a cross between a bass and a guitar - to wow the fans. Even ensconced downstairs on the ferry, the sound is monstrous, yet muffled. An age old roar of trapped metal dinosaurs, sinking into the soggy morass of a metal tar pit. I can almost feel the ferry vibrating in sympathy as we leave the dock. Hope to hear the new stuff next time guys.
 
The Wanch 29-2-208
 
   It's about 3 weeks later and I'm off to The Wanch for another hellfire romp with El Destroyo, They're opening for Don't Panic, led by the irrepressible John Prymmer, who is in the process of taking over the Wanch and upgrading the musical equipment. Good work matey! The Wanch has been around too long to fade ignobly into the night.  It's going to be special tonight as John Hutton has secured a guest vocalist gig with ED. All that shuckjive action with Annie must have paid off eh?  The usual suspects are here. Ross with the video camera. Chunny and Sian (fresh from last night's masterclass in musical mayhem with Bjork). Dave and Eva and Martine are hogging the table bar at far left. Drummer Paul is here, but Dave appears to be having a quiet night in with a cup of hot cocoa or something. The place is packed.
    
I manage to wangle a seat right in front of Maggie. Dean has gone to the darkside tonight with matching hair and attire. John has promised to sing a couple of Cramps covers. I've asked him to teach the band "Surfing Bird" (in memory of his unhinged performance at Dickstock 2006). That may happen, but not tonight. The band howl through most of the same set as the PierParty. John makes 2 brief visits to the microphone. He gibbers, gobbles, grunts, growls and grinds his way through some excellent tunes, including the aforesaid, but unknown Cramps numbers. Familiarity with El Destroyo's style doesn't blunt the impact of their performance. Familiar tunes include "Sam Hall" (still no resolution to the conundrum!) and they finish off with a howling rendition of "Stringbuster". Maggie is bouncing along with her bass, leaning in to Dean to trade licks. Dean is rubbing his axe against the speakers like some hornyhepcat in heat. Tunje is even more cool and unflappable behind the drum kit. The set finishes far too early. I could hear this band play all night.
   
Another long pause as Don't Panic get set up. They're long-time survivors of the HK music scene. They specialise in covers and cool old rockers. The opening 2 songs are Bowie covers - "Jean Genie" and "Suffragette City". At one point John stuffs the mike into my face and we trade a few tuneless bellows (at least on my part) before he moves away in search of fresh meat. I wish I could have stayed longer. As I leave, John is playing his guitar on the pavement outside the Wanch. Dennis on lead guitar, Colin on drums, and new boy Geoff on bass and shared vocals, remain inside and discover the joys of having more room and playing as a trio. Hope to catch up with you guys again soon. The Wanch still rocks and here's to at least another 20 years of existence.
  
Review by Nick L.

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Published: 04 March 2008

Saturday – what a Saturday!  Norman Jay @ Cliq was a treat for the ears and was quite well attended by a good crowd.  He always attracts a diverse mix of people – it's obvious why when you hear him play. 

You can hear the smile in the music as he weaves beautiful harmonies, kicking rhythms and funky basslines.  His warm vibe and eclectic creativity never fail to transform things into a lively friendly party.

A unique quality of Norman Jay's style is his relaxed ability to transcend musical genres and play where the moment takes him.  He glides effortlessly between different styles: soul, house, reggae, funk, classics, hip hop, latin flavas, jungle breaks and dub.  It's from the heart and without egotude!

Early on, the crowd seemed a little stunned - unfamiliar with this musical freedom.  Calm and charismatic, he watches the people, tunes in closely with them and soon the whole place was funking and grooving along to the education of the Norm.

“...as long as you keep your head to the sky! Never say die!”

The absolute in wicked and wonderful grooves from a master - and a true gent.

Review by Oz

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Published: 29 February 2008

Volta vulture.

Darkness. Silence. A crowded space. Suddenly, bam, the sound of live trumpets, a flash of light and the brilliant voice that is Bjork.

The crowds shuffled as they tried to catch a glimpse of this distinctive icon. However, stuck behind security barriers a montage of silhouette heads offered no happiness. Massive walls either side of the stage were screenless with no live footage for unfortunate fans stranded at the back.

Those that were fortunate enough got to witness Bjork's mesmerising stage presence watched attentively as fans swayed and jumped to tunes such as Hunter and Oceania. Dancing and singing on stage Bjork and her Icelandic brass band entertained the crowd with their performance.

By the end of the show the crowd didn't want to leave. Fans loitered taking photos of the stage and chatting amongst themselves.

Eaves-dropping on conversations there was disappointment that the sound system had ruined Bjork's performance and their enjoyment of the night.

As they complained others left i-pod in ear not having had enough of the Icelandic songstress.

 Playlist:
 

1.       BRENNID PID VITAR (WALK IN)

2.       EARTH INTRUDERS

3.       HUNTER

4.       JOGA

5.       UNRAVEL

6.       VERTEBRAE

7.       THE PLEASURE IS ALL MINE

8.       ALL IS FULL OF LOVE

9.       DESIRED CONSTELLATION

10.   ARMY OF ME

11.   INNOCENCE

12.   BACHELORETTE

13.   WHO IS IT

14.   COVER ME

15.   WANDERLUST

16.   HYPERBALLAD

17.   PLUTO

ENCORE

18.   OCEANIA

19.   DECLARE INDEPENDENCE

Review By Liz W.

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Published: 17 December 2007

I was talking to Nick W. a week before the Hed Kandi gig (actually I was saying I'd like to cover Shitdisco) and he asked me (somewhat plaintively, methinks) if I was going to come to his Hed Kandi show. Naturally, I said yes. Looking forward to it etc. I know they're popular in HK. This is their 4th appearance in conjunction with hkclubbing. BUT, I'd always thought of their show as rather flamboyant, effete and appealing to the metrosexuals of all persuasions. Hed Kandi are assiduous in their pursuit of the pink pound/buck. They know their market. I thought about this some more and said "So what?" It's going to be a great gig. There's a more interesting group of clubbers at these shows. Clubbers who will try and follow the dress codes, albeit with extra mascara, sky-high beehives and other assorted wigs and head toppings (and that's usually the guys!) Also, I've heard great reports about the headliner, Andy Warburton. And, he's playing with Pav, a live percussionist, straight out of sunny Ibiza. Excluding local skin-basher, Oz, the last time I saw/heard  added drums in a DJ gig was the Sundissential experience back in August 2001. Lisa Lashes got busted in NZ and had to wait another 4 years for her local debut. Way Out West did a live gig (minus Nick Warren) and it's still the only performance here by John Creamer and Stefan K. A top show, and only my 2nd rave.

The gig is in JJ's nightclub, near the Convention Centre. A 4-floor adjunct of the Grand Hyatt, it could soon embark on a new phase of its existence as a half-decent clubbing venue. There's a happy crowd downstairs, awaiting entry. I spot a couple of angels all white and silver wings. A lot of people have made some effort to adapt, but all the colours of the spectrum are on vivid display. There's a tall African with thigh length dreads, which he later wraps up in an oversize beanie. Manek is supervising and chatting to mates. He spots me and gets me my ticket. I'm glad to get inside as the recent cold spell is playing havoc with my knees. It's walk on gilded splinters time as I can hear my patellas cracking. The sound is great over all 4 floors (even in the lift). Only bummer is there's nowhere to sit and take notes so I'm pressed against a temporary wall, about 20 feet opposite the DJ booth. The medication is kicking in and for the first hour or so I can't write a damn thing. Local DJ Arun, who's managed by Nick W., is playing some splendid tunes. The audience seems to know them better than me. One tune I recognise from the Shitdisco gig, but generally the beats aren't so banging. Lots of retro 80's moments, swirly new romantic synths, some spacy bucolic tones, hints of dub, electro, not too much prog. Syndrums whirl and clatter and spin out of the ceiling. Sort of like Mixmaster Morris overhauling classic Pink Floyd. Or some of the mixes that DJ Morpheus puts out of his compilation radio show sets. It's the first time I've seen Arun and I look forward to future sessions.

It's 0100 and Andy has begun his lengthy set. Pav will join him shortly and play ferociously, but intermittently. Andy is a revelation. It's like the 1st time I saw Sasha and was left mouth agape in disbelief. Or seeing Fatboy Slim's 2nd gig in HK when he was arguably at his peak. Worries about a  cheddar landslide never eventuate!  Andy's set appears to cycle through three distinct phases lasting about 20 minutes each. When you're thinking, this is getting a bit cheesy, he's already begun the next cycle a minute earlier. The man has timing. His set takes in highlights of  Tommy Sunshine, DJ Hell and some Paolo Mojo as well. Most of the recent big hits get thoroughly rinsed. There's some freaky progbreaks with vocodorvox, grimy bass, phasing and vintage acid squeals. There's some nods to world beat, underlaid by exotic trancy loungescapes. There's castrato warblings and diabetes-inducing shimmery Italian pianos. Pav is providing live percussion that recalls vintage Santana, Grateful Dead and the bongo/tabla fury of Mickey Hart's Planet Drum Ensemble. (that's a bit sweeping, are you sure it's not the medicine talking?) No, Brady Freeman  and Devon agree with me. They both think Andy is "a great DJ". The crowd is excellent. "Rock and Roll".

My favourite part of the gig comes shortly after Andy drops a remix featuring a snippet of "Bette Davis Eyes" (the old Kim Carnes hit from the 80's) For the next 40 minutes or so, he's  on top of his game. A stunning blend of prog and freak beat with some great breakdowns that cause spontaneous simultaneous spinal shivers. I'm so lost in the music that I don't realise for a moment that I've been propositioned. Twice. By men. Have they got me mixed up with the late Allan Ginsberg? What's wrong with their gaydar? More worrying is what if they don't know it's broken? Nah! For the record, I've been happily married to my Finnish supermodel wife, Lena, since 1995 and am not planning any drastic midlife sex changes. Enjoyed chatting with you hunky studs though, in between the musical mania, and I'm sure we'll meet again, platonically speaking. No offence taken by me at the time and none is meant by these comments. We all enjoyed a great gig together and I hope you got lucky later at the show and didn't waste too much time on me!

What was meant to be a 3-hour set has mutated into a 4-hour set as the following DJ seems keen to let the boys carry on as they're having so much fun. The crowd approves heartily and if the last 30 minutes seems a rehash of the greatest moments of the set, well that's OK by me. I've finally found a stool to sit on and write some more notes, except that Nick W. keeps coming over to wake me up. He tells me later that the show has been recorded, so he'll be listening to it again very soon! Lucky Bastard! It was a fantabulous evening, dahlink!. Thank's so much for giving me (the) Hed Kandi Experience!     ntb. 

Review by Nick L.

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Published: 17 December 2007

This is going to be a truncated review as I've misplaced my notes. Basically, it's John and Darren from Shitdisco doing a DJ set at Volar with Anthony and DJ "X" (I couldn't find out his name, sorry). Anyway, "X" is already playing as I arrive in the club. His set is similar to Anthony's, but more bouncy/bubbly and there are some tunes I remember from the recent Tommy Sunshine/DJ Hell gigs. There's a biggish crowd, the usual reserved table up front. Quite a lot of Europeans present. Big hi to Rae and her mates and also Paul Maclean and his buddies. Also some other people present at the afore-mentioned DJ Hell show. 

Shitdisco are on stage about 0100. Joe is the main mixer, shaping the set and Darren is the sex symbol who intervenes occasionally with some whacky grunge sounds and weird FX. Rae's left the club briefly before realising the show is rather good and so she returns. Paul tells me he saw the full band play in Japan last summer and this piqued his interest for tonight's gig. Basically, they're not too shit and not too disco.There are some unsteady, rather broken down swapovers between Joe and Darren, but these add a rough and ready charm to the show and their enthusiasm and joy is infectious. Rae is up on the catwalk with 4 other girls, including one with her arm in a cast. They're giving it the maximum boogie workout. Full marks for deviating wildly at the end when they played the original "Tainted Love" (by Gloria Jones?), the frat-punk anthem "Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen and the Nugget-y Beatles pastiche "Liar, Liar" by The Knickerbockers. I think Paul might be the only other audience member who would know all 3 tunes.

Meanwhile, Anthony has been hopping up and down on stage, pulsing with barely-repressed energy. He seems keen to show these upstart headliners how the local boys do it. Sort of Welcome To My Playground! Each time I've heard him play, there's something new to capture my attention. He doesn't coast on the same old hits for weeks on end. I'm just waiting to hear that Layo and Buswhacker car crash track, which he finally drops about 0500. Right, my job here is done. Time to get some food and the ferry. Another cool night at Volar guys. Thanks and see you for the Par-Ici gig and next month's Bloc Party DJ set. ntb.  

Review by Nick L.