Tag: map71

Three, Two, One

April 2018
Green Door Store

Innixi Fix

Innixi Fix

To start the evening is Innixi Fix, billed as a three piece but playing as Jack on his own (he found out at 5:30 in the evening that this would be the case). So he set up on the floor with his guitar and electronics array. He starts by banging a loop of a clobbered string percussion part into the kit, supplemented with small flourishes giving it a clockwork feel. Before fattening out with balalaika twangs, reverb and then haring off down a blind alley of plics and ant-scurry thuds. Which devolves into a series of radiophonic space ping echoes. This goes on for not quite long enough before a tube train smashes through it. Which in turn gives way to an almost acoustic sounding passage of single noted loveliness which again evolves into some radiophonics mixed with gratuitous delay tweaking. It settles down into a more reflective passage before we get the Foghorns and heavy goods trains.


Andrew Greaves

Andrew Greaves

Andrew Greaves was also supposed to be playing with others in this case the percussionist was ill so Andrew fell back onto his electronic percussion along with organs and delays. The percussion ticks while Andrew played I think two pieces from his new album, which are long semi improvisations in some scales based on Indian Raags, played with extraordinarily long delays, and the occasional bass tone. The organ parts repeat, almost, slowing down and speeding up. Hypnotic is about the only way to describe it, I was quite in phase with the whole room by the time the first piece ended. He wound it down quite nicely and did the changeover to the second part pretty seamlessly. This continued the arpeggios and riffs style but with some longer, slightly slower parts woven into them. Both hands working together along with some suspicious looping technology and some more prominent action from the bass. Although again, it wouldn’t be called foregrounded. About a third of the way into the second piece the hi-hats tip over into woodblocks and rim-shots. Towards the end they trickle out just leaving the dynamic stasis of the organ figures worming into your consciousness.


Map 71

Map71

So Map71. A real drummer and one poet. Lisa Jayne, slight, static, book of words glanced at, pages thumb flicked occasionally. Andy Pyne a perpetual movement machine, elbows, knees, sticks, head, feet. The first track is drums and words alone, a circular patter around the kit, around the kit, around the kit. Anti-noise. The second is an older song. Starting with a cheap synthesiser riff before Andy and Lisa kick in. The electronic insistence rises during the song. The third song starts like “Summer breeze” closed hi-hats in threes, uneasy words. The fourth song is new I think too, starting with a staggered snare pattern “freak radar collision” Lisa’s word come at you in obsessional bursts. Every few bars everything stutters. Another new song follows, slight piano echoes, brushes occasional Kick yr ass drum. Lisa less declamatory than usual. The rhythm is still in her voice. Back with the favourites “controversial dance moves should not be attempted” buzz bass, half speed drums. A song about shopping. Hah. Lisa speaks between songs, I think this is a new thing. They still are the most charismatic act to grace the GDS stage. The final song is a tightly wound arpeggio that takes an age before the drums kick in. The tension mounts constantly, even when parts drop out. Insistence.


How’d he manage to break that?

September 2016
Green Door Store

Henry Collins – Rummaging

Henry Collins Rummaging

Henry Collins was set up on the floor on one of the oil drum tables with two concrete blocks on top. One supported an expanded polystyrene box from the fruit market big and bassy full of rubble, the other a metal tray, the treble arm of the rummaging body. The mics were stuffed right down into the tray, Henry had cut his hand the night before so was protected by some heavy duty gloves. He starts with an introduction to his philosophy of rummaging, then fairly gently gets into it, pausing briefly to take a pace back before stepping up and getting stuck right in with the almost inevitable climax of the table going over churning the contents of the rummaging boxes onto the stone floor.


Wild Anima

Wild Anima

The rest of the evening was run in conjunction with Blue tapes and X-Ray records who have strong local ties although having artists from all over, starting with Wild Anima from France. She began her set with field recordings and loops ending with fragile more orthodox songs. The first song had loops of rain and water with her vocals echoed back through extra long delays. It wanders through several sections before evolving some nice ticks that turn into a near beat to round off the piece. The second piece works her vocals around a pretty hefty bass drone, with electric piano coming about halfway through and layered up vocals on the backing track. The last song was pretty straightforward after that.


Map71

Map71

Map71 were third up, and continuing their recent run of form – on fire. Their set was about 50% new to me, the new stuff all really good, strong electronic backing tracks and drumming from Andy and Lisa Jayne’s diminutive figure commanding the stage. And the older pieces well chosen. A really strong set well delivered. Sometimes you see someone who really seem to have hit their moment and Map71 seem to be in this position right now. Lisa Jayne ends the set with the book of words behind her back and a small smile.

Benjamin Finger

Benjamin Finger

Benjamin Finger rounded the evening off, another European this time from Norway. It’s a pretty epic set and really feels like he could have settled in and continued playing till around 2am. It starts with thick, thick washes of synths with shudders and bells smeared over it. Scatterings of percussion come and go without doing much more than indicating at a rhythm. Things naturally seem to chunk up into songs based around sounds or sets of samples, but the timbres seem pretty steady all the way through. There are hints of ambience or dark basses from more recent genres. Yeah good, great LP for sale, too.


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