My evening at the Import Export has been booked for months now. Finally seeing Le Millipede live, and then being over-enthusiast about the 1115 add-on to the show, and then getting to know a little about Jam Money from hearing it at Favorit Bar and instantly digging it… Last night’s line-up was perfect on paper, but it was completely surreal live.
The venue is already respectably full, and DJ Rayon puts on fantastic song after fantastic song. A surprise hearing of LeRoy’s Khtulu’s Return. The show has not even started and I’m already so happy.
Jam Money delivers a short but intense concert, the three musicians working closely together around a lovely mess of small percussive objects, machines, microphones and instruments. Their hands dance with precision, and it’s a stunning show for ears AND eyes. Special mention to that particular piece that turned a tambourine and wood blocks into full-blown jungle drums.
Let it be known, it’s actually my first Alien Transistor night, here. I had not seen any of the acclaimed Le Millipede musicians at work yet. And yes, if individually they are all mesmerizing to watch, as a group they create this thick, hot, vibrating air bridge between stage and audience. The album tracks were adapted to concert situation in a way that shows how surrealistically talented this band is. From the fatter drum line that make you dance to the sheer magic of basslines on sousaphone to impressive harmonizations (the millipede’s legs moving forward together, really) to terrific trombone solos, Le Millipede live is a feast for the soul. As I am writing these lines, I’m listening to the album, again, and it’s tainted with the lovely memories of one of the most beautiful concerts I’ve seen in the last five weeks. Thanks so much, Le Millipede.
The night sky outside Import Export is full of stars, and I am taken back to Montreal for a moment. I am struck with the vivid memory of looking at stars from another point of view, asking myself if ‘my people in Munich’ were seeing Orion as brightly as I did at that exact moment. But tonight, ‘my people in Munich’ and I are seeing all the same stars at the same time as music still plays in our ears.
And then, oh, 1115. A olympic 3 hours live set of beats, more beats, voice loops, effects and synth lines and even more beats. It’s actually funny because it seemed like a part of the crowd was totally not ready for this, but those in the audience who ‘got it’ REALLY got it. It’s out of the ordinary, which is terribly refreshing honestly, and it’s the kind of music that if you just dive 100% in it, you sync up with the beat and it blows your mind. 1115 is techno for musicians. 1115 is constantly experimenting with new sounds that could possibly make people dance. And from seeing the sweat on the dancing fellas’ forheads, 1115 does a fucking great job at it. The Grey + Fehler Kuti duet is the new hot thing to dance to and you should all look forward to the January 22nd release on Alien Transistor.
Past 3 in the morning. The stars are even brighter. Maybe they got pumped-up from tonight’s energy, too.