Arriving early to catch Perth's psychedelic beat maker Diger Rokwell, I was greeted by a virtually empty Steel Blue Oval, and thus Diger ended up playing just to my friends and I for nearly his whole set. But this did not dampen his enthusiasm, as he played a banging set of beats, mixing in J Dilla, The Stone Roses, and throwing in a little Michael Jackson tribute mix towards the end. Diger provided the perfect start to the festival.
Next up was Naik, who was recently awarded best Australian performance by Drum Media's Members Only section, and he confirmed this accolade with yet another amazing performance. Naik's live show incorporates a live drummer to accompany his guitar/pedals/synths combo, as well as sometimes a DJ, which was the case today. Naik's instrumental "prog-hop" tunes are amazing as is, and translate brilliantly live, but with the added element of a DJ dropping huge rhymes over the top, it takes it to the next level. Syncing his tunes with rhymes from the likes of Nas, Three Six Mafia and Outkast worked perfectly, cementing his live show's reputation.
Distance dropped some heavy dubstep early in the evening.Distance was the first of the international dubstep acts to spin, over at the Origin stage. He played a very solid set of big dubstep tunes, including several of his own productions. The highlight for me would have to be hearing his awesome tune Headstrung dropped by the man himself through a big rig. Dopeness.
After Distance, I encountered the only problem I had all day - acquiring drinks. Lines were long the whole time, which wouldn't be too bad, but they were also slowly moving. This meant that in my quest to slake my thirst, I was unable to catch any of Klute. I did however get to watch some of LTJ Bukem & MC Conrad whilst waiting for drinks, who were putting on a good show.
Roots Manuva, donning his own take on a white tuxedo.Over at the Knowledge stage, Roots Manuva bounded on to the stage, accompanied by 2 MCs, a live drummer, a DJ and someone on synths and samples. He looked like he was having a lot of fun on stage, as he launched into a set of both new tracks (like Again & Again, and Let the Spirit) and old tunes (including the excellent Movements) from his career. My only complaint would be that I would love to have heard more of his older tunes, but his set was still awesome. The highlight would have to have been when crowd favourite Witness (1 Hope) was dropped. Such a good tune.
When I say Benga, you say Skream!Straight after Roots Manuva were Skream & Benga, who got the ever-swelling crowd very pumped, very quickly. Playing a pretty full-on set of banging dubstep, Skream & Benga did not give us a chance to catch our breath, as they kept dropping wave after wave of hard wobbling tunes. The biggest responses from the crowd were saved for Benga's dubstep anthem, 26 Basslines, and the tune that has helped bring dubstep to the masses, Skream's remix of La Roux's In For The Kill. What a set!
Ugly Duckling wanted it louder, louder!Leaving Skream & Benga a tad early, in order to secure a front spot for Joker, meant that I caught a little bit of Ugly Duckling, performing their light-hearted take on underground hip-hop. Closing with single Turn It Up was a lot of fun, and the crowd really dug it.
We listened to DJ Joker.
We listened to DJ Joker.It was now time for the main reason I was at Origin, Joker. He is the man of the hour, blending a unique mix of dubstep, grimey beats and electro, to make a sound that he merely describes as "purple". It was ridiculous how good his set was, which incorporated several of his own tunes like Digidesign, Purple City, Gully Brook Lane, and also what sounded like new tracks of his. Tracks from other artists were also in the mix, such as Fackin' 'Ell by Crissy Criss, and Out of Space by the Prodigy, which really got the crowd going. If you know and like Joker's sound, this set was nothing short of perfect. Damn.
It was at this stage of the night that my phone (and thus camera) ran out of battery. Bummer.
Following Joker were the Dilated Peoples. From the start to finish, the energy these guys brought was incredible, as they tore through tracks from all five of their albums, including You Can't Hide, You Can't Run, Back Again, and Kindness for Weakness. DJ Babu is an amazingly talented DJ, and is the anchor of the group, which was emphasised through the parts of their set that showcased his skills, cutting and scratching with astounding precision. The set also included a few tracks from MC Evidence's The Weatherman LP. This is how live hip-hop should be.
And finally, it was time to see if all the hype was worth it, as I headed over to catch Method Man & Redman. Rumours of Meth being a no-show had been rife ever since reports of his arrest due to tax evasion surfaced (similar to what happened to Nas just prior to the Low:Fi festival). They took their time in emerging, as sound problems appeared to plague their DJs. However, Red n Mef's banter from backstage, as well as Meth starting chants of C.R.E.A.M. and Shame On A Nigga, kept the crowd entertained and got them excited. Finally emerging, these truly larger then life characters put on an awesome show, starting with tracks from their latest album, Blackout! 2. Tracks from Blackout! surfaced later in the show, and all were executed brilliantly. Some of the highlights from the set for me, however, were the sections that focused on Meth, as he sang his hook from Raekwon's Ice Cream, performed Wu-Tang Clan's track Method Man, and even his track Fallout. These two stoner icons really delivered what was needed, an over the top spectacle.
All in all Origin 09/10 lived up to (and possibly exceeded) my expectations, which were quite high. There was not a disappointment for me the whole day and night, unlike most other New Years Eves.
It was at this stage of the night that my phone (and thus camera) ran out of battery. Bummer.
Following Joker were the Dilated Peoples. From the start to finish, the energy these guys brought was incredible, as they tore through tracks from all five of their albums, including You Can't Hide, You Can't Run, Back Again, and Kindness for Weakness. DJ Babu is an amazingly talented DJ, and is the anchor of the group, which was emphasised through the parts of their set that showcased his skills, cutting and scratching with astounding precision. The set also included a few tracks from MC Evidence's The Weatherman LP. This is how live hip-hop should be.
And finally, it was time to see if all the hype was worth it, as I headed over to catch Method Man & Redman. Rumours of Meth being a no-show had been rife ever since reports of his arrest due to tax evasion surfaced (similar to what happened to Nas just prior to the Low:Fi festival). They took their time in emerging, as sound problems appeared to plague their DJs. However, Red n Mef's banter from backstage, as well as Meth starting chants of C.R.E.A.M. and Shame On A Nigga, kept the crowd entertained and got them excited. Finally emerging, these truly larger then life characters put on an awesome show, starting with tracks from their latest album, Blackout! 2. Tracks from Blackout! surfaced later in the show, and all were executed brilliantly. Some of the highlights from the set for me, however, were the sections that focused on Meth, as he sang his hook from Raekwon's Ice Cream, performed Wu-Tang Clan's track Method Man, and even his track Fallout. These two stoner icons really delivered what was needed, an over the top spectacle.
All in all Origin 09/10 lived up to (and possibly exceeded) my expectations, which were quite high. There was not a disappointment for me the whole day and night, unlike most other New Years Eves.
lol
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