After nearly a decade of releasing some of the funkiest, most psychedelic, non-conformist music around, Ninja Tune still stand way ahead of the majority of the pack. To celebrate another successful year of bringing their unique brand of merriment to the masses, the respected label, has set off around the UK for the Meals On Wheels Of Steel tour, featuring three of the labels mainstays: Kid Koala, DJ Food and Amon Tobin.
By 10.15 the dark backroom of Brighton's Concord is swaying ever so slightly, but when DJ Food's Strictly Kev arrives behind the four decks, the beachfront club visibly surges up a couple of gears. He plunges straight into his mix 'n' match style reminiscent of Coldcut's incredible 'Journey By DJ' compilation.
Where DJ Food really come into their own is in the melding of two songs of different genres to form one perfect new tune. Tonight, two fantastic soundclashes occur. When Grandmaster Flash's 'The Message' is merged with Boards Of Canada's 'Happy Cycling' and then, later, when the disco rush of Primal Scream's 'Don't Fight It Feel It' sidles next to Kraftwerk's 'Home Computer', DJ Food send the crowd into orbit and set near-impossible standards for the DJs to follow.
Job done, Kev makes way for possibly the only known DJ to partake in five minutes of stand-up before manning the decks. The man is Kid Koala - joined by P-Love - and after the gag telling and crowd goading he ups the night's ante with amazing dexterity. Koala more than makes up for any shortcomings his recent album 'Carpal Tunnel Syndrome' may suffer from. In the live arena, he is nothing short of a revelation. Cutting and scratching drumloops, dialogue, parps and hoots, the man is a flurry of blurred hands and insane gurning, engaging the crowd and generally entertaining the crowd more than Robbie and The Beasties put together.
Following a sampled debate on the art of Jedi courtesy between Ben Kenobi and Yoda, Koala jumps from the turntables to introduce his own guest band, Bullfrog. Half an hour's worth of funky jamming ensues, keeping the crowd momentum rolling nicely towards the evening's turning point.
It arrives when Amon Tobin steps up to the decks and twists things in a much darker direction. Harsh, almost gothic trip hop and seething breakbeats threaten to extinguish the good vibes that have been so prevalent all night, but the crowd absolutely love it. Jean-Jacques Perry, Squarepusher and a handful of tracks from soon-to-be-released third album 'Super Modifier' bring the house down. Bass frequencies rattle noses and hi hats splinter eardrums, but the local boy can do no wrong. He ends the night in triumphant fashion with the drum 'n' jazz skitter of his own track 'Nightlife' and sends the Brighton crowd home with a twisted smile on its collective face. Another town conquered – only Cambridge and London to go. After a decade of entertaining the troops, the Ninja gang still bring the house down every time. In the words of the label itself – Yes Mate!
