so i went to the second night of 5 days off at the melkweg last night. dizzee rascal and dj shadow/cut chemist were the main attractions.

all i can say is wow… dizzee rascal was great if you like that style. i’m pretty fond of it. his beats are just ridiculous and really fun to dance to. there was a huge mosh pit during his whole set, which was entertaining.

after a much needed bathroom break, i got some more beer. then it was almost time for shadow and cut chemist. i didn’t really know what to expect, and i definitely wasn’t expecting what was about to come. the hard sell.

shadow and cut chemist playing all 45′s on 8 turntables + fx. it was intense. they opened up with a cool intro (which i have video of, more on that in a further posting) where it was explained that they will be using all original pressings and not just custom pressed 45′s containing their loops and samples, etc… meaning all the looping will be done in real time… on 8 decks?! holy shit. it was further explained that in order to prove this, there would be multiple cameras filming all of mr. shadow and mr. chemist’s moves.

utter madness all night long. they had cameras strapped to their fucking wrists so you could see what they were doing with their hands, as well as cameras mounted on stage to catch a wider angle. it really showed everything and it was projected on multiple screens all over the venue. they even busted out cutting and scratching on the little turntables and mixers that can be played like a guitar (i don’t know the term for it, check the pictures for reference).

yeah. those guys have skills. it was a sonic assualt from start to finish. the sound system was pumping with a ferocity reminiscent of the old turbo sound at freedom back in the day, except about 5 times bigger. luckily i had ear plugs, which i thank god for because if i didn’t have them, i would now be deaf. and that would be a bummer especially since audio is now my life :)

rafi was generous enough to loan me his camera since mine just won’t turn on. it’s hard living with no camera. but yeah. i got pictures. took about 100 and managed to salvage like 8 or 9. just couldn’t get a decent shot given the conditions, esecially with a point and shoot type deal. i’m looking into picking up a new dslr in the near future. then i’ll be able to get my photos up to my high standards. enjoy this for now…

andy c and pendulum on saturday, day 4 of 5 days off! :)

more pics to come!