"To what degree is this LIVE Drum and Bass?" asked a student.
"Well" I said,
"they have two decks, two laptops, two CDJ's, a double bass, a drum kit, a guy playing all manner of bongo type drums of various sizes and an ensemble of other percussion instruments. I'm not sure what degree that is.""Oh" he retorted,
"I guess I'll go then".
I can't think of a more apt description than
"live" as the music Drumagick played was incredibly, infectiously moving. Not moving in a last scene of a tearjerker kind of way but moving in an
"I can't stand still for love nor money" way. Waves of undulating musical energy washed over the crowd for the whole set. Drum and bass can be harsh at times and repetitive for a nights entertainment if done improperly, but add a South American twist and the harsh edges are replaced by smooth samba hooks and energetic funk.
From the opening track
"Checkmate" the brothers Jr. Deep and Guilherme Lopes conducted and arranged the music from their control centre. Sashaying through tracks like
"Samba Rock" and the aptly named "Ragga Style" right the way up t the closing salvo that made everyone throw their hands in the air
"Easy Boom" Now I understand why people in the industry are calling Drumagick Drum and Bass Royalty and why Gilles Peterson liked them enough to include them on his
"from Brazil' album.
So in answer to the
"what degree is this LIVE drum and bass" I would now say
"a full 360 degrees as it is a live as you can get"Rating: 5/5
Review by Kid73
Drumagick have varied releases out now on Samba Loco/Troma Records http://www.discogs.com/artist/Drumagick
www.consortium.co.uk
Drumagick at The Consortium 1st May 2005
