The Groove Thief

Concert Review: Tes La Rok & Heavy Hong Kong united under the banner of bass at Backstreet Live.  Drops and wobbles, covering the spectrum from sharp chest-assaults to deep dub-inspired thunderous booms, actually put the Heavy sound system in serious danger.  Openers Anadonic and N1D, with Rebearth MC spitting verses, dropped all shades of low-end theory, priming the audience for the Finnish headliner.  Starting with the “Bogle” riddim from Mungo’s Hi Fi, Tes La Rok included plenty of big bass tracks such as his own “Up In The Vip,” firing up the crowd with his melding of reggae vibes with overwhelming bass.  This then gave way to the machine-war soundtrack that is exclusively the sound of dubstep: pounding digital stutters over relentless bass-lines and the occasional break just to unleash full-power madness.  Blood Dunza continued his streak of super-late set-times, tragically at odds with this member of the Saturday-morning work force.  Overall a nice show despite the sound issues, which will hopefully be corrected for future heavy bass shows…

For plenty of tunes by Tes La Rok, please check out Heavy Hong Kong’s comprehensive artist feature.

Here are some tracks from the local/supporting artists, including a brand-new dubstep mix from Anadonic:
 

Elephant Revival play acoustic neo-folk, blissfully beautiful multi-layered music that is often completely chilled-out, yet thankfully for ears like mine they are not afraid of uptempo dancier tunes either.  Hailing from Nederland, Colorado, they represent my home-state well, and truly thrive in the live environment.  Given that, here are some recent live performances of theirs, including a spectacular full concert via DittyTV and a radio show courtesy of KBUT Community Radio.  As a bonus, there’s a nice remix from Emancipator cleverly called “Elephant Survival.”  This is intimate bluegrass played by master musicians, amongst the best of the current crop of future-forward new-grass:

Watch a full live show on DittyTV

Heavy Hong Kong brought the bass this Friday, featuring UK headliner RSD, to celebrate their Sixth Anniversary Party at Backstage Live in Lan Kwai Fong.  The jazz club’s stage and DJ booth allowed a nice variety of performances, with the music covering the whole range of reggae, dub, bass and the accelerated boom of steppers.  Although the night seemed to build-up a bit more slowly than the crowd might have hoped for, every artist turned in an enthusiastic performance.  A few technical glitches aside, the night progressed well from opener DJ Dragon’s 7” bass assault, with local MCs Rahyym RayShizzle and Loki Dolo trading verses over some dub loops towards the end of the set, into a solid set of live reggae by Sensi Lion.  The local five-piece’s Cantonese vocals, thick bass and skillful trumpet combined to keep the largest crowd of the night more than satisfied, especially with their energetic finale.  Next came Hope One, Lamma Island’s resident beat-maker, who explored roots, digital, steppas, and dub reggae, including his own productions and others from Dub Temple Records.

All the artists tested the Heavy Hong Kong sound system’s lower-end, but RSD pushed it the most, with the headliner twisting and mutating his way through an extremely fluid mix of face-tingling multi-genre bass music.  He maintained a definite reggae bent, yet also stepped into other styles and influences to craft an engaging set.  Multi-talented Blood Dunza finished the night off with his dub/bass sound that has him, as founder and long-time Heavy Hong Kong promoter, at the forefront of the Hong Kong bass movement.

The crowd at times seemed a bit unsure of whether roots, steppas, or simply bass itself was their preferred sub-genre, but the DJs wisely worked them all into their sets to keep everyone satisfied.  This March 18th show, along with The Bug & Daddy Freddy at XXX on March 10, has definitely started the year off well for all things bass in Hong Kong, with more greatness coming up next week: a Sessions HK dub/reggae show on Thursday night at Golden Stupa and then Heavy Hong Kong returns with V.I.V.E.K bringing dubstep to XXX:

Tinariwen entered to hopeful applause, but exited to a roomful of awe and a standing ovation.  Playing their second of two nights as co-headliners of the 40th Annual Hong Kong Arts Festival - along with New Orleans blues legend Dr. John - the band embraced Hong Kong with their dusty, mournful, droning desert rock.  This was deep music to revel in, and between the last minute lineup changes (due to outbreaks of violence in the band’s homeland Mali) and a bit of a language barrier, it fairly took the crowd a while to warm-up.  But with the relentless hand-clapping and the dizzying layers of sound laid out by the mesmerizing sextet, coupled with the soaring guitar melodies and well-harmonized vocals, the crowd gradually became entranced, enraptured and wildly enthusiastic.  By the end of the almost two-hour set the majority of the sell-out crowd was on their feet, clapping feverishly as the band exchanged solos and instruments.  Fans briefly stole the stage to dance and to thank the crowd in Cantonese on behalf of the band, but this night belonged to the desert.

The talent runs deep with Tinariwen, so while they may have been influenced by 60s rock the sound they have forged is wholly original: Saharan campfire music that is clearly Grammy worthy.  Like equally renowned Malians Amadou & Mariam, this is passionate music meant for the world, not just “world music.”  Hong Kong should be thankful for nights like this, when the bustling city fades away and the stars come out…

(Please click here for my original review of the band)

In case the name Goat Rodeo doesn’t excite you, this is Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile and Stuart Duncan.  They are all heavyweights in their own right (and genre), but they’ve united here as a bluegrass-fusion supergroup.  Cello, bass, mandolin and fiddle… here’s three live tracks (two instrumental) of awesome from an NPR Tiny Desk Concert: