There can be no greater advocate of live music within clubland than John-Christian Urich, frontman of globally admired ‘house band’ Tortured Soul. For years now, Urich and his merry Tortured men have been carving out their own successful corner of the dancefloor. But is it still just a corner?
Following the recent recessionary furore surrounding venues like Fabic, Matter and seOne, a number of commentators have talked up necessary change in the dance music sector; one of the major changes, already under way they note, is the wider integration of live performance into traditional club nights by major city promoters.
“I think maybe there’s a shift in what clubbers want right now” Urich says. “Perhaps those people have started to realise that live music is more ‘entertaining’, as opposed to more ‘meditative’ like a traditional DJ set. Certainly our own shows continue to be received really well; if anything the support is getting bigger and better.”
Tortured Soul
Disco don Dave Lee, the man behind respected club aliases Joey Negro, Akabu and live set-up Sunburst Band, agrees up to a point: “If a DJ is good at reading audiences and they can instantly adapt their set-lists to offer something truly unique each time they play then that, to me, is live performance. However, the dance scene does now appear receptive to a wider range of live formats. Artists and promoters are more conscious of needing to evolve during a recession; they start to ask themselves what else they can do to give punters a greater bang for their buck, and keep the profits rolling in. Live music is more involved; it’s exciting… an obvious new route.”
True enough but clearly the execution needs to be right; live PAs by well established dance divas have long been a tradition in clubland but not always a successful one. “In a clubby environment those one-song PAs – sing-a-longs to a backing track – are often disruptive. I’ve seen the mood of many nights ruined by them,” Lee stresses. “There needs to be real thought and preparation; if you’re going into a club for a number of tracks with good singers and a talented band then it’s likely to work. You need a band. Look how successful outfits like Reel People and Faze Action have been… still are.”
As it transpires, Faze Action’s Robin Lee will be heading up an all-star band of talented musicians for a special weekend of live house music hosted by Defected Records later this month. On July 23 (The Roundhouse, in Camden) and July 24 (Ministry Of Sound,) legendary singers Candi Staton and Barbara Tucker will perform entirely live and organic productions of classic club anthems You’ve Got The Love and Most Precious Love. Other performers include Bob Sinclar cohort Steve Edwards and Finally diva Julie McKnight. The Defected band’s pedigree is indisputable – session time with Amy Winehouse, Basement Jaxx and Groove Armada.
The Defected Live Band
“It’s a sign of the times” remarks Rob Waller, a club promoter specialising in live hip-hop and electronic club nights across London; his company Soundcrash is heavily involved with Cargo London’s schedule, and with events for the Dub Pistols and Kruder & Dorfmeister among others. “Our own business has never been better. These days, people see superclubs as something from the 90s; they want to go out but not to a sterile, over-polished event. It’s why the smaller clubs are doing well, the raw warehouse events and crossover parties; a lot of venues in London are mixing club nights and gigs.”
For Oli Lazarus, founder of Reel People, live music was always likely to be a requisite stage of his career; a career based largely around cult house imprint Papa. “Reel People has given me a lot of creative and business flexibility” he explains. “I actually set up a new imprint, Reel People Music, at the end of last year, for new stuff from the band and other similarly-minded artists. It means I can speak to a variety of listeners. Live music has definitely become more influential but it wasn’t something I ever had a background in. I’ve had to learn and understand it; there are bigger cost and logistical implications but it does give you flexibility. Crowds love the Reel People thing; the shows have always gone down well.”
It’s back to Tortured Soul’s Urich, who attempts to summarise the fundamental difference between live band and DJ: “Put it this way, if you want the most exciting things possible to happen at a club then the tempo is being held down by muscles not machines. We perform… play every note. There’s drama in watching the instruments being played and the words being sung.”
John-Christian Urich
The whole live dance music thing has never been bigger. Major dance acts like Basement Jaxx and The Prodigy have amplified their profiles significantly by fully incorporating a live element in their production and performance masterplans - unsurprisingly, perhaps, a new poll by Global Gathering has the latter as ‘most influential dance act of all time’. But even on the underground, live-minded acts like Crazy P and Defected newcomer Tensnake are finding it easier to standout and command attention.
“The growth of the festival circuit, especially in the UK, is another factor” Lee, currently working on his fourth Sunburst Band album, concludes. “It’s a great bedding ground for live club acts. The latest generation of DJs and producers are all looking at having a live profile because they know it gives them greater booking and PR potential. It’s a career thing.”
In every sense, and on every level, dance music is live and kicking.
For more details on the Defected Live Weekend, click here.
