Low:Fi, Perth 25/10/09

Set times from the Deen back room, where the dubstep went down.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, it was finally time for the only dedicated hip hop, dubstep, and drum and bass festival in the southern hemisphere. Promising a block party vibe, featuring an amazing line-up and set to be staged on Aberdeen street, the Deen and the Shed, I (along with everyone else) had extremely high expectations.

First up for the day was Ta-Ku, in the Aberdeen main room. Playing to a nearly completely empty room, he didn't seem to mind and dropped classics from Gang Starr, Biggie, Dilla and, of course, Nas. He also appreciated my Madvillain T-shirt, but did not indulge us with a track.

The next act I wanted to check out was Naik, but due to "unforeseen circumstances" resulting in my bottom lip being split, and subsequently it pouring blood for the next 45 minutes, I was unable to see his live show, of which I have heard nothing but good things. On the plus side, the paramedics were extremely friendly and helpful in patching me up.

Hench AKA Jakes showed us his Warface

With a newly acquired band aid for my lip, it was time for the first round of dubstep goodness, from Hench (Jakes' dubstep alias). After the initial confusion caused by finding out the Shed stage (where the majority of the dubstep was to take place) had been shut down, we found out it had been moved to the Deen back room. This man has his finger in just about every bass related pie at the moment, and played a good, solid set. Unfortunately there were some slight sound related technical difficulties, though they were overcome quickly. His set included some of the dubstep joints from his album The Jakes Project, including the Full Metal Jacket sampling Warface, and In Tha Place to Be.

Zed Bias made us feel Good, Yes Wonderful Good.

Taking over seamlessly from Hench was the one and only Zed Bias. This man has been in the game for some 15 odd years, and he is well known for his broad range of styles. Starting off with some classic UK Garage, the crowd were dancing, but a little more chilled than the reactions brought on by Hench's set. My plan was to watch Zed for a little and then go and check out Commix. However, due partially to the closure of the Shed stage, there was a line to get into the Deen main room, so I decided to give Commix a miss. And I am so glad I did. Returning to the back room, Zed was still spinning Garage, but then dropped Skream's remix of La Roux's In For the Kill, which got the dance floor (and myself) quite excited. This was to be the beginning of an awesome few tracks, as he proceeded to play a dubstep remix of his own classic Neighbourhood (exactly what the remix was I am not sure, but would really like to know!), Caspa's remix of TC's Where's My Money, and then topped it all off with Benga's 26 Basslines. Amazing. Zed's experience really shone through, giving the crowd exactly what they wanted.

Excision brought his Swagga

After Zed Bias wrapped up, it was time for the dubstep I had been most hanging out for, Excision. And he really delivered. Right from the word go, he played an absolutely relentless set, during which it would have taken all of one's willpower to not cut loose on the dance floor. His set was pure banging dubstep, with some of his own awesome tracks thrown in for good measure, including Wasted and Serious Business, as well as a track from his collab with Datsik, the excellent Swagga. Due to wanting to secure a good spot for Nas, we left Excision's set before it was over, but what was witenessed was pure dubstep dopeness.

TC & Jakes' set was on fire, til their last track.

Over on the main stage on the Street, TC & Jakes were approaching the tail end of their set, and the crowd seemed to be pretty into it. Haters By Jakes feat. TC went off, however they finished their set in a very bizarre and somewhat disappointing manner, choosing to drop a D&B remix of Sex On Fire. Absolutely horrid, and I hope it is something that is never inflicted upon my eardrums again.

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones: half man, half amazing.

And before I knew it, it was time for Nas and his touring band, Mulatto. This man has 9 studio albums to his name, as well as other assorted tracks, so a carefully constructed setlist is a must. Opening with Hip Hop is Dead, things looked promising from the outset, and only got better as the set progressed. He soon asked the crowd if it was alright if he took us back to 1994, meaning only one thing: Illmatic. Jumping into somewhat of an extended medley of Illmatic tracks, we were treated to the sounds of N.Y. State of Mind, It Ain't Hard to Tell, Represent, One Love, The World is Yours, and Life's a Bitch. The rest of his set featured tracks spanning his entire career, all of which Mulatto pulled off without a hitch, except for Get Down, which came off sounding somewhat different, but still awesome nonetheless. Made you Look was great, and near the end of his set a very passionate rendition of One Mic wowed just about everyone present. The only criticism would be that he came on a little late, and finished a touch early, but quality over quantity I say.

After Nas finished early I thought I may get a chance to get a little Coki & Loefah action, as I had been extremely disappointed to find that they and Nas were on at the same time. But alas, entry to the Deen was refused and so we left, after what was an amazing day of dubstep, hip hop and a little D&B.

Bring on Low:Fi 2010!

The Weird Girls Project

Something else pretty cool I recently found was The Weird Girls Project, the brainchild of Icelandic concept artist Kitty Von-Sometime. It involves a series of "episodes" each of which has a different theme, and utilises the skills of a range of photographers, costume designers, and film makers. Kitty plans the episodes for up to three months in advance, while the members (none of whom are professional actresses or models) are completely unaware until the day of the shoot, with the element of surprise being the catalyst for the weird and wonderful results. Each episode consists of both a photo shoot and a short film.

Here are a few shots I think are pretty great (click the images to view them in a larger size):

Episode 4: Bunny Revolution

Episode 7: The No Seeing Eye

To check out all the episodes, head over to The Weird Girls Project website here.

Todd Schorr

I recently stumbled onto the artwork of Todd Schorr, and I must say I really, really like it. What can only be described as twisted cartoon art, Schorr's creations embody what I imagine as being the anti-Disney. What could have been a cute, innocent cartoon is transformed into one resembling a cartoon dystopia: the bright colours and cartoon characters are present, but the characters themselves, the way they look, and the actions undertaken are very sinister. While one could read further into the messages his pieces convey (possibly including criticisms of consumerism and organised religion), I must admit I really just enjoy them for what they are - a very individual style of art.

Anyway enough words, check out some of his stuff (click the images to view them in a larger size):

Into the Valley of Finks and Weirdos

An Ape Allegory

The Egg Hunt

And to check out more, head over to his website here.