IDM Mailing Archive

On Sun, 8 Sep 1996, James Arnold wrote:

quoted 3 lines Anyone in UK get to the Big Chill last weekend? Personally I thought it

> Anyone in UK get to the Big Chill last weekend? Personally I thought it > sucked, but it was partially saved by great performances by Freeform and > Morris...

I went and loved it. Don't know why you thought it sucked. What sucked? Have you been to a big chill event before? What did you expect to see/hear? Site-wise: After the storm that swept East Anglia on the night before, they had to (re-?) erected the tents on Friday. So things got off to a slow start. The weather wasn't great until Sunday - Friday was drizzly, Saturday started cool and got really cold by 1am, Sunday was sunny and warm, it was a bit squelchy underfoot. There were huge tractor tracks to negotiate everytime we cross to the Big Chill tent. The food stalls were inadequate, more were needed. Event-wise: Apart from the conditions that came with holding the event in Hingham (including a 12am curfew and lowish volume on the sound systems), I really enjoyed it. My first camp out and introduction to some really smelly toilet facilities. People we heard and saw: the Stealth night (Herbaliser, Coldcut and DJ Vadim from Ninja Tunes playing some funky tunes), Kid Loops going all d 'n' b, Squarepusher having trouble with his equipment and not really getting going, Talvin Singh doing the business with electric tablas, Zion Train sounding really bad through a duff pa but people still enjoying it, Global Communications with a rather ecletic set - that 70s and 80s disco stuff isn't really to my taste, the Oscillate night (with HIA - nice set, Freeform - second time I've seen him and he still sounds a bit sterile), Zoviet France were very ambient - playing an large assortment of percussion and pipes into mikes for just a reverbed snippet on top of a bare electronic backing, Another Fine Day was a bloke playing a horizontal slide guitar - a selection of tunes from Orb to Debussy, Autechre did a very minimal set (people I was with saw them at the Reach gig and said they had much more interesting set then), Being played a long and interesting set of wierd and wonderful sounds (I was sitting outside the tent, enjoying the sunshine and reading the Sunday paper), Earthtribe were cracking, caught the last 40 minutes of LTJ Bukem amidst a jumping and pumping crowd, and saw MMM start his set to the in-now lounge sounds (later just before we had to drive back, we popped in to hear him dropping System 7's Interstate - Doc Scott mix? and moving into the dnb area [how did him end?]). There were loads more whom I can't recall at the moment without the programme. Other things we caught include the Mamalucous circus - jugglers, balancing acts and rope artists (after a long wait in the freezing cold at 2am), the "freak" show - a collection of pickled specimens and stuff toys with strange deformities, an exhibit and demo of fire and ice sculptures and the brilliant Hextatic visuals - video synched with top idm including lots of visual and audio samples from THX 1138 [Samplespotters Q here: which artists and what tracks has used such samples as "What's wrong"? I can think of one from Fuse and one from Orbital.] I'll be going to next years, definitely. Ciao Peter -- Peter.Chang@nottingham.ac.uk +44 (0)115 951 3848 at work For (my) amusement only: www.ccc.nottingham.ac.uk/~etzpc/

On 10-Sep-96, Peter.Chang@nottingham.ac.uk wrote:

quoted 2 lines Anyone in UK get to the Big Chill last weekend? Personally I thought it

>> Anyone in UK get to the Big Chill last weekend? Personally I thought it >> sucked,

quoted 1 line I went and loved it. Don't know why you thought it sucked. What sucked?

>I went and loved it. Don't know why you thought it sucked. What sucked?

1) The licencing hours (not Global Headz' fault, but it obviously affected everyone's enjoyment of the event. 2) The location: again, a tricky one, but it was a nightmare to get to and wholely uninspiring. 3) The fact that they ploughed half the site up with JCB's and took two days to (partially) level the land again. 4) The toilet/cold shower situation. 5) The DJ's - on the whole, utter shite. Fine, play "eclectic" music, but at least look like you know how to mix it... 6) The amount of DJ's thinking they'll get a standing ovation by playing jungle (it's the Next Big Thing y'know!). Jungle is the last thing I want to hear at a Big Chill. 7) The sound system in the main tent. Hahaha. 8) Global Communication copping out of a live set. 9) The bastard who sold us those dodg... <ahem> 10) The weather. 11) Those fucking idiots on stilts. Are they supposed to freak us out or something? I had enough of them at the Tribal Gathering. 12) The dancers who came on stage in the main tent now and again. Purlease. Good Points: 1) HIA, Freeform, Andrea Parker, MMM and Wishmountain. 2) Sue and Dick's burger van (our sole source of food over the weekend). 3) Those speakers with talcum powder on top. 4) Umm. Please note, these comments aren't really against Global Headz, but against some of the artists playing, and the draconian laws in this country. The Big Chill could have been really amazing, but like the man Bono said: I still haven't found what I'm looking for. Laters... heatsink@thenet.co.uk NP: "Version" - DMX Krew

[snippy-snap]

quoted 4 lines 5) The DJ's - on the whole, utter shite. Fine, play "eclectic" music, but a

> >5) The DJ's - on the whole, utter shite. Fine, play "eclectic" music, but at >least look like you know how to mix it... >

I'd have to agree on that, though Twisted Science was good, as were the Ninja Tune posse. 6) The amount of DJ's thinking they'll get a standing ovation by playing jungle

quoted 4 lines (it's the Next Big Thing y'know!). Jungle is the last thing I want to

>(it's the Next Big Thing y'know!). Jungle is the last thing I want to >hear at a >Big Chill. >

Yes, it was odd when you could hear jungle in all 3 tents at once; pretty lame stuff at that.

quoted 3 lines 8) Global Communication copping out of a live set.

> >8) Global Communication copping out of a live set. >

I was reet pissed off at them doing that again (as at the Big Chill in Finsbury Park)

quoted 6 lines Good Points:

> > >Good Points: > >1) HIA, Freeform, Andrea Parker, MMM and Wishmountain. >

HIA very good - mostly stuff from Freefloater, I think. Hypnotic and interesting at the same time. Not much different even though only Bobby Bird remains. Andrea Parker - also good, including sneak previews of the new Aphex stuff and the full version of the Plaid track from Blech 2. R2D2 at 33 didn't have quite the same impact, though. I thought Being was good as well.

quoted 2 lines 2) Sue and Dick's burger van (our sole source of food over the weekend).

>2) Sue and Dick's burger van (our sole source of food over the weekend). >

It was Natural Nosh all the way, for me (and full-on Snickers attacks).

quoted 2 lines 3) Those speakers with talcum powder on top.

>3) Those speakers with talcum powder on top. >

Yes - wasn't the rest of that "installation art" a bit of a joke, though? adam

On 11-Sep-96, M.A.J.Huffman wrote:

quoted 2 lines 5) The DJ's - on the whole, utter shite. Fine, play "eclectic" music, but a

>>5) The DJ's - on the whole, utter shite. Fine, play "eclectic" music, but at >>least look like you know how to mix it...

quoted 2 lines I'd have to agree on that, though Twisted Science was good, as were the

>I'd have to agree on that, though Twisted Science was good, as were the >Ninja Tune posse.

I saw the start of the DJ Food set when they were dropping cheesy explosion/siren noises into the mix :) after that I wasn't that impressed. I guess I was expecting another Jouneys By DJ...

quoted 1 line 6) The amount of DJ's thinking they'll get a standing ovation by playing jungle

>6) The amount of DJ's thinking they'll get a standing ovation by playing jungle

quoted 2 lines Yes, it was odd when you could hear jungle in all 3 tents at once; pretty

>Yes, it was odd when you could hear jungle in all 3 tents at once; pretty >lame stuff at that.

I hardly heard anyone playing any decent ambient/weird experimental stuff. It was hardly a cutting edge music policy

quoted 3 lines HIA very good - mostly stuff from Freefloater, I think. Hypnotic and

>HIA very good - mostly stuff from Freefloater, I think. Hypnotic and >interesting at the same time. Not much different even though only Bobby >Bird remains.

I only caught the last half of it, but it was solid stuff. That little tent was the best of the lot over the weekend IMO - better sound, darker (yum) and cosier!

quoted 3 lines 3) Those speakers with talcum powder on top.

>>3) Those speakers with talcum powder on top. >> >Yes - wasn't the rest of that "installation art" a bit of a joke, though?

Heh, yeah like the ice sculptures. That woman was getting some good feedback effects off the violin though :) Laters... heatsink@thenet.co.uk NP: "Osiris" - Syzygy

M.A.J.Huffman sez:

quoted 6 lines someone else sez:

> someone else sez: > >5) The DJ's - on the whole, utter shite. Fine, play "eclectic" music, but at > >least look like you know how to mix it... > > > I'd have to agree on that, though Twisted Science was good, as were the > Ninja Tune posse.

The Ninja Tune DJ's were astonishingly good. Mixmaster Morris is a genius on the decks, and anyway is it really that important?

quoted 4 lines 6) The amount of DJ's thinking they'll get a standing ovation by playing jungle

> 6) The amount of DJ's thinking they'll get a standing ovation by playing jungle > >(it's the Next Big Thing y'know!). Jungle is the last thing I want to > >hear at a > >Big Chill.

Have you ever been to a Big Chill b4? They've been playing jungle for ages and ages now and lots of it too.

quoted 8 lines Yes, it was odd when you could hear jungle in all 3 tents at once; pretty

> Yes, it was odd when you could hear jungle in all 3 tents at once; pretty > lame stuff at that. > > > > >8) Global Communication copping out of a live set. > > > I was reet pissed off at them doing that again (as at the Big Chill in > Finsbury Park)

Global Communication have never played a live set in my experience (I've seen them maybe 5 or 6 times) Has anyone ever seen them live? Mind you the quality of the DJ'ing normally makes up for it, though the volume problems did scupper them a bit at the festi)

quoted 4 lines Good Points:

> > > >Good Points: > > > >1) HIA, Freeform, Andrea Parker, MMM and Wishmountain.

MMM, fuckin GENIUS! Wishmountain, hilarious and funky, once again. My other favourites - they guy in the middle of the Stealth night (Mr Sho'nuff ?), Bukem once they fixed the sound, was inspirational, as always, and also Another Fine Day playing live and totally chilling us out in the sun.

quoted 5 lines I thought Being was good as well.

> I thought Being was good as well. > > >2) Sue and Dick's burger van (our sole source of food over the weekend). > > > It was Natural Nosh all the way, for me (and full-on Snickers attacks).

Mmm Mmm, Nosh PIE! Cheers Andrew C.

On Wed, 11 Sep 1996, Andrew Cowper wrote:

quoted 2 lines Global Communication have never played a live set in my experience (I've seen

> Global Communication have never played a live set in my experience (I've seen > them maybe 5 or 6 times) Has anyone ever seen them live?

I saw them in the summer of '93 here in New York City - on-the-fly Star Wars sampling and all - and they were excellent. This was before I had heard anything by them, and I became a total convert after hearing them bust out the beautiful "Ob-selon Mi-nos." I believe a certain Mr. Parillo was also there that night, if I'm not mistaken.... ;) - Matthew OnNow-->Sonny Rollins: St. Thomas

quoted 2 lines I became a total convert after hearing them

> I became a total convert after hearing them > bust out the beautiful "Ob-selon Mi-nos."

Strangely enough it was the same track that converted me to them A friend gave me a mix tape with that track starting it off - now I buy anything of theirs that I can. Have you ever noticed that if you reverse the title of that track you get the message Son I'm no lesbo! How odd! Tim ____________________________________________________________________________ Tim Moss SCO Client Integration Division Phone: +44 (0)1223 518034 Software Engineer Vision Park Cambridge England Phax : +44 (0)1223 518001 WWW: http://www.vision.sco.com Email: timm@sco.com