Leeds Hip Hop Scene

First off full props to the guys at Room 237 for putting on this show in the first place, Prefuse 73 is one of my all time producers, with entirely unique brand of glitch-hop, space rock whatever ya wanna label it. Bundle in supports from Fingathing and Beans and you’ve got a show that was a criminal offence to miss. Yes you.

In truth I might have missed the gig myself as I’d totally forgotten about it and agreed to sit in with the Mrs with a film. Last minute the penny dropped and after some grovelling I dragged her along, not an infrequent occurrence “but this is Prefuse 73!” it’s different. Anyway we ran late missing Beans but arriving in time for Fingathing.

For those who don’t know their setup, Fingathing are Peter Parker (doing up the decks/MPC), Sneaky (on double bass) and Chris Drury showcasing his sweet visual stylings (check the website). For me this is one of the best shows on the circuit today all three of these guys have mastered their respective arts and brim with the confidence of such, interacting and reacting well with the crowd. Fully enjoyable and even my other half liked them and she insistently hates live hip hop. Be sure to check out their album Big Red Nebula Band.

After the mass exodus outside it was once again clear why the smoking ban sucks for live performances, Prefuse 73 came out to an almost empty room. This didn’t seem to bother him to much as he started out pretty much straight away, people filtering slowly in from the back. As I expected there was a drummer out on stage, rocking a live kit with triggered samples for more beef. Scott Herren (Prefuse) himself had a keyboard/laptop combo with a guitar hanging from his neck throughout. He also had another guy on keys and effects. For those who know Herren’s music, it seems quite a task to execute live and inspiring as it all was, it did look to be the laptops job to create the more complex, fun and jerky stuff. One of the main highlights came at the end when most people had left (this was a school night btw) and Beans came out impromptu to jam out a couple with Pref and co.

All in all, a most excellent night with a good choice of acts and joyfully good sound and visuals. Keep an eye out for any other Room 237 nights soon.

Wiz

Here are a few links to some vids I took:

Fingathing
Prefuse 73 Vid1
Prefuse 73 Vid 2
Prefuse 73 Vid 3