It''s been a good year for both Ninja Tune and affiliate label Big Dada. And, if its been a good year for Big Dada, that means its been a very good year for UK hip hop, so what better than to have a bit of a shindig celebrating some of the best of the genre with acts culled from both of these labels? That was the weekend''s bill - a line-up that included DJ Vadim and New Flesh For Old rudely interrupting the chatter of London''s chin-strokingly happening Institute of Contemporary Arts.
The essential mix of hip hop classics warmed up for the live acts, with an impressive set of visuals including footage of b-boy-ism, basketball and graffiti providing the backdrop. The mood then shifted steadily onto a dark tip in preparation for New Flesh For Old''s arrival on stage, nicely timed to greet their brand of tense trickery.
The sonic assault blasted off with Toastie Taylor controlling things in his distinctly original, deep and gruff style - a kind of UK Method Man meets Dancehall. The crew ran through tracks from their mightily impressive debut ''Equilibrium'' with Part 2 and Juice Aleem gracing the stage whilst Mr. Weston controlled the turntables. Then came the sound problems. At this point Mad Flow was forced to grab the mic, blowing heads with his beat box skills and leaving us dreaming about a battle between him and (King) Rahzel.
Other New Flesh associates took turns on the mic, delivering accappellas that were all well received by the crowd. The crew''s ability to keep momentum and entertain proves their natural skill - cutting it live as strongly as they do on wax, a formula that they''ll need to win heads over to the difficult UK sound.
In between sets the music becomes more beat orientated, with Company Flows'' recent instrumental excursions linking up nicely to Vadim''s workout with Mr.Thing (Scratch Perverts). By this time though, the crowd had thinned and the buzz and atmosphere that New Flesh created, had gone home. Undeterred Vadim and Mr Thing jump into their routines, impressing with an artful display of turntablism.
Vadim has both the creative mind but also the technical ability that''s essential when performing live. His strength lies in his insistence on holding onto his Russian heritage, even the visuals were ''Cold War''/Nuclear in theme proving his status as a true original. Respect.
