The Groove Thief

The Bug, Daddy Freddy, Roche, Rolec, Enso, Kid Fresh & Yao combined their collective forces this Saturday night in Hong Kong to explore new depths of bass under the banner of Vague Logic #2.  The March 10 show, at XXX and promoted by Sessions HK, slowly built throughout the night leading to the fierce sub-sonic frequencies of the UK-based head-liner The Bug, accompanied on the mic by the fire-spitting MC Daddy Freddy.

Sure, this is dub reggae, but not in the wholly traditional sense since the focus was on just how deep, rumbling, and powerful the genre can get, while still keeping a pounding danceable beat.  Enso dropped the most dancehall-oriented set of the night, but from there the night descended into the murky depths of the low-end, so when Kid Fresh dropped DJ Vadim’s “Terrorist” it was a rare upbeat number - irony intended.  Roche pummeled his sampler into submission, dropping loop after creative loop atop tracks, creating a live soundscape.

The Bug began showcasing his apocalyptic vision of dub alone, but when Daddy Freddy grabbed the microphone things really got taken to the next level.  This is divisive music, either your eardrums are happy to be brutally stomped into submission or they aren’t - but if you fall into the first camp then this was the best night so far in Hong Kong’s 2012 bass scene.  Over mutated bassed-up doom-beats, including originals as well as tracks like the “Sleng Teng” riddim, the “Welcome to Jamrock” instrumental, a dub of Roots Manuva’s “Witness (One Hope),” plus the obligatory Bob Marley jam, the energetic and growling MC kept the people moving with lighters in the air.  The night was smokin’ in more ways than one - a good sign in this often staid city.

All of the headliners, including Session HK’s own Rolec smoothly ending the night with Loki Dolo on the mic, are available via UStream.  Here are the links in order of appearance:

Roche — Kid Fresh x Yao — The Bug w/ Daddy Freddy — Rolec

Video streaming by Ustream

[More live dub/bass/reggae is coming next week thanks to Heavy Hong Kong’s 6th Anniversary Party featuring RSD, Sensi Lion, Hidden Dragon, Blood Dunza, and Hope One.]

Brodinski’s remix of Yuksek’s “Off The Wall” is solid techno music.  Filtered (and minimal) vocals, taught bass with a clap, plus sufficient beat switches and breakdowns, and then a nice buildup that melds acid and electro with just a hint of trance.  Perhaps this is a textbook remix, but it’s done well, something that can’t be said of many a household-name DJs’ inevitable remix EP.

DOWNLOAD via Rcrdlbl 

Scratch is a 2001 documentary about hip-hop, so while it isn’t music in the sense that I usually review, it is quite relevant and features a lot of great songs and DJs.  Through extensive interviews, live performance clips, and archival footage, the film follows hip-hop from its birth to its modern form - that part hasn’t really changed much in the last decade.  If you’ve never seen this, it is well-produced and full of great music and important figures throughout the evolution of hip-hop.

Watch Scratch on Google Video

As a bonus, here’s Scratch: All The Way Live also on Google Video, the follow-up live performance documentary from the tours inspired by the original film.

Tony Rebel’s early 90s digital dub “The Herb” is an UNClassic ganja anthem.  UNderappreciated and Classic, this is a more wistful and poignant “Legalize It,” the words coming out fierce over a nice bouncy riddim.  When Rebel says “Tell everyone one… good sensimilla, it used to run this land” and then laments the increased popularity of cocaine, the plight of Jamaica comes through clearly.  This is a conscious reggae party rocker, so plan your volume accordingly:

The Tallest Man On Earth has a unique voice, making his folk music sound simultaneously fresh and timeless.  Comparisons to Bob Dylan abound, and aren’t entirely incorrect, but “Weather Of A Killing Kind” demonstrates as usual that he is his own artist.  Released for free as part of Adult Swim’s 2011 Singles Program: