Kosmische/The Sausage Machine
The Vibe Bar, London
11 June 1998
I was foned on Wednesday night by Iain, a friend who I hadn’t heard from for a little while. He asked if I liked Fridge. I asked whether he meant my fridge or whether I was merely well disposed towards refrigerators in general. He told me that they were playing Thursday night in Brick Lane and thought I might like them.
This was how, after an eleven hour day at work, I ended up in the up and coming East End of London in the hip lounge of the Vibe Bar. The wooden floored chamber with a bar area and large sofas (all occupied by the beautiful people) was lit by many long-necked spot-lights hanging from the ceiling. A video-mixing set-up (Curious Yellow) projected a clash of video and computerized imagery onto a screen behind a low stage. The video-projector was raised on a number of banana boxes; a nice low-tech touch!
First up was Robert Hampson (ex-Loop, Main) centre stage with a squat, heavy box trailing wires. He was trading under the Main Active Sound System (M.A.S.S.) banner. Without too much fuss Hampson set down a continuous mix of effects-laden processed noise with the occasional floor threatening bassline which nodded towards dub. The overall mix was somewhat similar to some of his work on Main’s Motion Pool album and ranged from lurchingly abrasive to zen calm. All the while Curious Yellow blended car crashes, London/New York/Tokyo street scenes, industrial backlots and a heavily solarized young lady, with pixilization, dervish vortices and digital processing. The combined effect was very urban while mostly avoiding the more clichéd avenues of Drum’n’Bass, Trip Hop and allied sub-genres.
Anyroad, before we’d managed to order another three bottles of Beck’s (no draught Staropramen on tap tonight) two young men, somewhat reticently, took up bass (Fender Precision) and electronics (summink digital and an old organ with antique drumbox) as they emerged from the DJ’s set. The organ opened up its Bontempi-style rhythm section, kinda like “Spoon”, and the pony-tailed guitarist finally arrived and cranked out a multifoliate klang of Telecaster dirt not unlike Sonic Youth. The drummer finally moved from keyboards to lay down that rhythm pattern described by a thousand uninspired critics as motorik.
In all their set was a varied if a tad derivative; they did the necessary Tortoise-y kosmische-jazz thing and pulled off a very competent NEU! impersonation. Perhaps this is to denigrate what was a very entertaining live band – after all, they swapped instruments, saved precariously perched keyboards from falling to the ground and played off each other rather well. I guess the danger of reviewing a band in terms of genres and music history is that it somewhat misses the physical reality of three musicians actually engaging with their instruments in a live situation. Anyway an entertaining night in all at Kosmische and the Sausage Machine and since there ain’t enough nights like this going on anywhere else this is certainly something to be applauded and encouraged.
-Iotar-
