Show Reviews: Jimmy Edgar / Addison Groove
Major props to IHEARTCOMIX for bringing the heat last Saturday night at Los Globos!! The good folks at IHC just launched a brand new event series called OFF/CNTR, presenting DJs and producers who stray from the beaten path of mainstream electronica, opting to explore the immaculate realm of underground dance music instead. The first OFF/CNTR installment featured a spectacular lineup with none other than Addison Groove and Jimmy Edgar- tritons of the dancefloor guaranteed to get a party going every time they take to a DJ booth. I had the pleasure of joining KXSC's very own Sam Couch and Zach Nivens for the show and let me tell you, we could not stop grooving.
Sodapop (Shaun Koplow, label manager at Anticon) kicked it all off downstairs with an eclectic mix of tunes to prep everyone for an altogether unpredictable night. Soul, funk, house, even a few hip-hop numbers; it was an A.D.D-inspired opening set that worked just fine without the meds. We were then herded upstairs to find opener number two, Grenier of Frite Nite fame, already breaking it down with classic house bangers and trappy beats alike. He immediately won me over by dropping Behling's "Last Chance"- a jazzy break number guaranteed to get the crowd moving- then working up to not just one, but TWO steamy new tracks off Salva's upcoming Odd Furniture EP (s/o to my FoF fam!). This guy definitely knew what he was doing up there, dancing like an animal whilst weaving through styles with a steady hand.
Next up was Addison Groove and he didn't skip a beat- hitting the decks hard and diving right into his bass-driven set. The whole thing was very rhythmically complex, heavily influenced by elements of old-school jungle, ghetto house, and UKG. He came at us with many surprising moments: bold song selections and an extremely dynamic performance overall, in terms of both style and volume. Though his debut full-length, Transistor Rhythm, off Modeselektor's 50 Weapons label was met with mixed reviews, his set was a definite reminder of why we fell in love with "Footcrab" all those years ago.
Jimmy Edgar then took the show home, transforming the upper floor of Los Globos into a sweaty Berlin warehouse. Sporting a jet-black blazer without a shirt underneath, it was clear that this was the brain behind all those sexed-up nightclub bangers released last year. Edgar's set was dark and seductive, undeniably proving why he's the "wayward star-child" of Scuba's own Hotflush Recordings. The entire nightclub was a heaving frenzy right up until the very end as exhausted 20-somethings drudged out of there, dripping with late-night sleazy vibes. The show was a definite success in my book and I see a lot of promise in this new event series. Many thanks to the whole IHEARTCOMIX crew for putting this one together, I can't wait to see what the future has is in store for OFF/CNTR.
--Jen, Naive Melody