Trance Party IV: The Great British Trance Off, Liverpool & London
The madeleines of jungle and UK garage have been scoffed, and millennials are turning to another sound for a nostalgia rush: trance. It was as suburban white as UKG was urban black, and no Breezer-stained Saxo in Hemel Hempstead went unmolested by its charms. Now it’s due a revival, though it never really went away; its pleasures were mashed into bass wobble to create EDM, with cannier stars, including Armin van Buuren, going along for the ride. Its latest proponent is Evian Christ, who’s reclaiming it as the weird, unprecedentedly euphoric sound that it is (tongue somewhat lodged in cheek). He has brought together fellow trance fashionistas Venus X, Total Freedom and Lorenzo Senni for this brief jaunt, reminding us that Paul van Dyk’s chart-topper For An Angel still works.
Kazimier Garden, Liverpool, Thu; Corsica Studios, SE17, Fri; touring to 31 Oct
BB
Simple Things Festival, Bristol
This contemporary music extravaganza – established as one of the UK’s most razor-sharp new music happenings – is a fixture that Bristol deserves. The city’s other mini-festivals do their bit, but only Simple Things really reflects the impressive hipness that gives Bristol its almighty cultural capital. The pitch-perfect programming ranges from leading lights of grime JME and Skepta to explorers of the murky world beyond techno and dubstep Vessel and Objekt. There’s the thesis-inspiring proponents of dancefloor sound art Dean Blunt and Holly Herndon and, on a lighter note, Danny L Harle, the most underrated of the culture-regurgitating, shamelessly fun PC Music stable. There are even some lesser-spotted Chicago house demigods, Ron Trent and DJ Funk; happily though, for once four-four styles don’t take complete precedence over other sounds, with many stages devoted to contemporary rock and experimental bands, led by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, who played Friday’s opening gig, and headliners Battles.
Various venues, Sat
GT
Ilian Tape Showcase, Sheffield
Brothers Dario and Marco Zenker hail from Munich and, according to their bios, were raised on a diet of underground hip-hop, dub reggae and sweet mustard. Dario was first to make a splash on the German techno scene, with his younger sibling eventually joining the family business with a series of live performances, followed by the B2B DJ sets they’re celebrated for. The pair maintain the acclaimed Ilian Tape imprint, which bridges esoteric influences with a rave sensibility, a sound expanded upon in their own sets. They’re joined by psychedelic labelmate Stenny, and Sheffield-based talent in the form of Hope Works’ owner, Lo Shea, who maintains command of the cavernous surroundings.
Hope Works, Sat
JT
Squarepusher, London
A world premiere here for Shobaleader One, a new live band assembled by Squarepusher to accompany him in playing his work from 1995-1999, ie brilliantly extreme acid jazz from albums such as Music Is Rotted One Note and Budakhan Mindphone. Hopefully, the band format will free him up for some trademark virtuosic bass. There’ll also be a live set centred around his recent bpm-ramping LP Damogen Furies. In support are 808 State, and a trio of Metalheadz stars – Source Direct, Jubei and Ant TC1 – who continue junglism’s heritage industry with a history of drum’n’bass set.
Troxy, E1, Sat
BB
Pan-Pot, On tour
Berlin duo Tassilo Ippenberger and Thomas Benedix met while studying sound engineering in the city, and came into their own as producers through their work on Anja Schneider’s Mobilee label. Their 2007 debut album brought their focused and direct take on their home city’s techno scene to wider attention, and the years have only escalated their reputation. These dates come on the back of their long-awaited follow-up, this year’s The Other.
District 8, Dublin, Sat; Crystal, Waterford, Sun; The Tunnels, Aberdeen, Thu; Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Fri
David Pollock
