| jbass |
 
SATURDAY, MARCH 24th, 2007
EL MOCAMBO upstairs
464 Spadina Ave.
TORONTO
Nufunk.ca and Torontotronica.com proudly present
in his debut Canadian showcase:
KJ SAWKA - Seattle, WA
*** LIVE PERCUSSIVE ONE MAN DRUM & BASS INSANITY ***
Check out KJ Sawka on YOUTUBE right now!
"Seeing Kevin Sawka on the drums is the only way to believe the hype. It's the only way you can believe the impossibility of the hype, the assumed exaggerations of his abilities: that he can play the most complex of jungle, drum'n'bass and breakbeats utilizing no loops and no extended samples -only his two hands and two feet. Whereas some artists claim to be performing live drum'n'bass, live electronica, etc., Sawka, however, can perform each and every 808 bass kick, snare slap, and compressed highhat tick himself, in real-time.
10 years ago -when drum'n'bass was very near it's zenith in popularity, and Kevin was playing in prominent rock bands in Seattle (grunge was huge)- someone played him an LTJ Bukem track, and, as he says, "It scorched my brain. I dropped everything, and focused solely on how to recreate that on the drums." He heard Dieselboy as well. More brain-scorching. He started writing utilizing the style, and honed his new concepts and approach to the drums. He debuted the new sound in the band 94th Street, a band years ahead of it's time: a pop drum'n'bass band with a sense of humor. While the band didn't gain much momentum, the word about Kevin was out: there's a drummer in Seattle who's performing jungle and drum'n'bass beats on acoustic drums, what was once thought to be absolutely impossible by any human. And here Kevin was making it look easy -like watching a jazz drummer who's said to play "like water flowing," Kevin instead was doling out insanely syncopated d'n'b.
Word spread quickly. Seattle resident superstars were checking him out. Michael Shrieve, drummer for Santana for many years and lover of drum'n'bass, took him under his wing and showed him off to anybody and everybody: Andy Summers of the Police, Bill Frisell, Amon Tobin, Jack Dejohnette, Will Calhoun, and many more. Kevin at this time was playing an amazing next-generation drumkit: a custom half-acoustic, half electronic drum kit with one diabolically huge kick drum, one insanely tiny kick drum, three snares, a multitude of trashy sounding cymbals & saw blades, a few electronic drum pads and all the acoustic drums set to electronic triggers. His band at the time -still ahead of it's time- was the all-improvisatory avant-garde drum'n'bass trio Siamese. They toured the country multiple times in '02 and '03, bringing down the house in San Francisco at latenight afterparties and raves; in New Orleans during Jazzfest; opening for LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad in Portland; and, put simply, slaying nay-sayers and dropping the jaws of industry, musicians and fans nationally by performing astonishingly long sets of uptempo jungle and d'n'b without set breaks -without even breaks between songs. Again, seeing is believing.
Live and in the dj scene, Sawka is pushing the envelope with his one-man balls-to-the-wall dancefloor show, which now does include a laptop, samplers, loops, and a rack of gear to produce a full-on production -plus projections, live-action cameras, and intelligent lighting in an in-your-face way that only the reverse-engineering, seemingly bionic Mr. Sawka can bring.
Welcome, to the 21st Century."
supported by the long awaited and anticipated return of Toronto's own:
The CHAMELEON PROJECT
* LIVE DUBJAZZ DRUM & BASS FUSION *
Check out brand new demo releases from The Chameleon Project on Myspace now!
"The Chameleon Project wants to move you. They want to move you to dance, move you to think and move you to feel. That might be a tall order for some, but for this tightly knit trio it’s just what they do. The goal says CP founder Josh Laing is to challenge the audience and get them to explore new sounds and textures while delivering something familiar and fun. Adds Josh “The music must be intelligent but not so esoteric that people can’t relate.”
The band constantly draws on the lessons of the past and they deliver their own take on how the music aught to sound. Drawing on the influences of jazz greats Lou Donaldson, Miles Davis and Art Blakey, the groove stylings of everyone from the P-Funk mob & Barry White to the improvised rock influences of the Grateful Dead, Little Feat & Phish, then into the future with the electronic affectations of Goldie, Roni Size, Grooverider, Stacy Pullen and many more, The Chameleon Project produces its own unique music.
This is a band that is best experienced live as their legion of fans will attest. “We’re essentially a live band that delivers when we get into extended improvised jams.” Josh adds, “This ability to create something new every night means that our shows are always changing and always fresh. Even if you’ve seen us before we’ll be sure to surprise you and ourselves.”
Moving seamlessly from drum & bass to traditional jazz through funk, dub reggae and electronica, the CP project shows no signs of slowing down or wanting to stop changing colors or musical textures. It’s a process that keeps the audience engaged and dancing."
Due to illness, Snappy Homefry will be unable to perform at this event. Filling in for Snappy Homefry on Bass will be CP's Original Player Extrodinaire, Jamie Kidd.
Jamie Kidd has made much headway recently with his solo venture into production and Live PA performance. Garnering the respect and admiration of the Toronto electronic elite for his innovative and energetic sets, Jamie Kidd has won over the ears of producers and deejays alike. Fresh off the jet from shows in the Southern United States, Jamie will be throwing down licks with the fire and passion that got CP through its first full length release and 12" vinyl project. Be prepared for a special night as the reunion of these musical masterminds creates a dynamic energy that can never be duplicated.
for more info on Jamie Kidd visit: www.jamiekidd.com
and organic folktronica DIY junglist:
kNEPTUNE
* LIVE PA GRASSROOTS DRUM & BASS *
Check out brand new clips from kNeptune on Myspace now!
"From the Forest to the Jungle.
Forest Folk meets dirty beats from the earth. Growing out of the underground, kNeptune is keeping Canada green with deep forest rhythms and D.I.Y. environmental sound activism. Recycle!
Over the past few years, Mike Soma & friends have been busy exploring the canadian wilderness gathering field recordings, organic sounds and samples. Bringing original dirty beats, grass roots organic drum n bass, and a love for the great green north to the big city, kNeptune's stunning live performances will leave you grass stained and covered in soil."
with LIVE video mixing and visuals provided by:
diss0nance
www.pinksox.ca
"After nearly two decades of professional design, diss0nance has been 'beautifying' the scene with her own hard edged aesthetic. Using live video feeds from the stage, a laptop and several alternative video sources, diss0nance offers an interpretive digital projection as a complementary backdrop to some of Toronto's most exclusive events."
Starts promptly at 10pm
$10 at the door - no less, no more.
TICKETS $10
Available At:
2 The Beat - 161 Spadina Ave (416)598-8120
Rotate This - 620 Queen St. W (416)504-8447
Play De Record - 357 Yonge St (416)586-0380
Shanti Baba - 546 Queen St. W (416)504-5034
or online at www.ticketweb.ca
www.kjsawka.com
www.chameleonproject.com
www.jamiekidd.com
www.kneptune.org
www.nufunk.ca
www.torontotronica.com |
|
|
