As I watched Mathew Jonson play live tonight, I was seized with an awareness of a new reinnassance. He has mastered an amalgamation of the best of jazz's arrangement, Chicago's jack, Detroit's mood and Berlin's space/depth. This is just one example of the way that the best of today's artists are injecting manifold histories into new forms. Theo Parrish's 'Twin Cities' is perhaps the newest pure melding of Detroit and Chicago. West London has been at it for a while - always finding a new source to imbue the new grooves with twisted funk. In Vancouver, It Is What It Is seems to be pushing a totally unique sound into the techno world. There are probably only two songs from last year that stand out for their clarity of vision *and* unique futurism: Claro Intellecto's 'Piece of Mind', and Cobblestone Jazz's '5th Element'.
Surprisingly, Mathew Jonson didn't even play 'Cobblestone Jazz' last night. I regretably own none of his records, so I can't give track titles or anything, but I can say that he delivered easilly one of the best PAs I've ever seen. I will class him alongside Stewart Walker, Herbert and Shawn Rudiman (haven't seen Jamie Lidell, but I bet he fits here too) as the best of our live performers. His set @ Fabric twisted endlessly, incorporating everything that I mentioned at the top. He played for at least 90 minutes, moving from subtle moods to new school stripped-down Chicago jack a la 'Tres Demented', to the Detroitiest of deep melodies, to the spaciest of Berlin dubs, to the rudest and biggest of sonic-fabric-tearing-saw-tooth-synth pads and (as my friend put it) "Spinal Tap's 11 volume" basslines. Under know circumstances, save death or marriage of family should you miss him if he comes to your town. The applause when he finished lasted for at least a solid minute, making him blush and stare at the floor. It was one of the most intense outpourings of appreciation I've ever seen - as though everyone knew they were witnessing a next level, and were excited that perhaps someday this might be a new standard. BTW - Baby Ford opened with a very good selection of excellent music (if not terribly coherent in terms of organisation, despite a totally awful 30 minute nearly-electroclash-without-the-vocals-style-shite segment) until 2:00. Rob Hood started out with a hip hop track (as he does) then kicked it into a locked at 140 BPM set that lasted 3 1/2 hours. After the wonder Mathew Jonson induced, it was a bit much to get into, but once I readjusted, about an hour in, he completely rocked it - layering brutality upon brutality, occasionally dropping into evil Basic Channel meets M-Plant depth. His precision plus 909 mastery are totally unequalled. I lost it when he dropped 'Der Klang Der Familie'. Near the end I realised that with all of this hard intensity, he actually mixes like a deep house DJ, mastering long blends and subtle EQing, with only the occasional, perfectly timed scratch or juggle. AND, to top it all off the bar and club didn't close early for the time change. One of the best nights ever. Tristan ======= http://www.phonopsia.co.uk [EMAIL PROTECTED]
