Red Bull is essentially one of the biggest brands in the world. It has somewhat of an omnipresence in the sporting industry that is beyond dominant and it’s stranglehold on all things associated with sport is increasing ever so rapidly. Since its humble beginnings in 1998, the Red Bull Music Academy has created a college in the UK for budding musicians and producers as well as a radio station via their website. They displayed their prominence in Australia earlier this year when they sponsored Laneway Festival and had their own tent which featured artists such as Rusko, Harmonic 313, Dorian Concept, Buraka Som Sistema, El Guincho and Four Tet, needless to say, it was fucking killer.
As a part of the lecture arm of the academy, Red Bull organised for Blu & Exile to run an information night at the Judith Wright Centre in the Valley. True to their form, all reports say it was a very relaxed event where Blu & Exile were quite happy to discuss everything from lyrics to production.
A lot of recognition needs to go to the guys from Dank Morass for consistently providing Brisbane with quality up and coming producers/dj’s such as Loefah, Starkey, Flying Lotus, Farj and Joker. With places like Void in Sydney gaining for more popularity for their approach to dubstep, glitch, future beat etc, Brisbane can thank Dank Morass for putting us on the map as a destination for producers and dj’s alike.
We arrived in time to see the end of Rola D who was playing some incredible glitch and heavy dub, he did an exceptional job of preparing the crowd for the forthcoming dj’s. I’d never been to Alhambra before, but they seem to have the sound reasonably under control with clear, concise bass and piercing snare (unlike the 93 decibel limit at Hifi), however they don’t have a stage – which is a bit of a downfall…especially if you’re a midget such as myself. The delectable dub continued as Walrii and Danck took to the decks (the majority of the early sets were all vinyl, thoroughly impressed). There was a lot of new stuff being played along with notable tracks of the moment with touches of hip hop (Dub remix of ’99 Problems’ by Jay-Z and ‘Ear drum’ by Talib Kweli were stand outs).
There was a slow transition to hip hop as Exile began to set up and prepare the crowd for Blu. He opened strongly with a few minor tech problems then let loose with a barrage of quality hip hop from Nas to Busta, Dilla to Pharcyde and everything in between. The low point was when he dropped 50 Cent, however the crowd didn’t seem to mind as they were already sufficiently musically lubricated and waited eagerly for Blu to come on.
The young MC from South Central LA was energetic and had a confident stage presence as he ran through his first few tracks. Beer in hand and standing on a bass bin, he conversed with the crowd who were receptive and familiar with his bigger tracks from “Below the Heavens”. ‘The Narrow Path’, ‘Blu Collar Worker’ and ‘Good Life’ were all delivered with lyrical precision. Blu & Exile’s compatibility as a MC/Producer team is undeniably meticulous and they demonstrate this on stage very clearly and add a few touches that make their live shows exciting and captivating. The fact that they were willing to do this gig in the first place is evidence enough that Blu & Exile are passionate about their music, however it’s not until you see them live and experience their relaxed approach and see how much fun their having on stage that really solidifies their enthusiasm.
“What the fuck is DUB-step?” – Cameron Pratt
