Rough Fields, Maya Jane Coles & Killing Joke

What, you may be asking is the connection between these three quite disparate artistes.. well, I’ve seen them all play live and they’re all British, but more importantly they’ve all recently released records that have moved me sufficiently to go out and buy the actual CD.. the first physical bits of music I’ve bought in far too long (at least a year)

Honestly, I’m so impressed by the Rough Fields record Edge of the Firelight. The singles released over the last six months or so have all been excellent, but hearing them all collected together really adds something to the whole. It still amazes me that I know someone that can write music this accomplished. It is pretty much flawless to my ears, breathtaking in its scope and ambition. Jim layers washes of sound, looped guitars and his fragile vocals, over skittery beats and percussion to create a truly a wonderful thing..

Listen to it on Spotify, but then go and buy it. Earn Jim enough money so he’ll make some more of this sublime loveliness…

About a year or so ago, And and I went to a Bank Holiday 2020Vision event at the less than impressive Village Underground in Shoreditch. Run by the DJ Ralph Lawson, 2020Vision is a dance music record label with a hugely impressive record (sorry) of releasing high quality tuneage to the world. I personally have at least 25, 2020Vision 12″s from when I used to DJ in the olden times..

On the bill that night was a young DJ by the name of Maya Jane Coles. Word was just starting to spread about how good she was and we were duly impressed.

A year later, and in the smallish (but perfectly formed) world of quality dance music, Maya Jane has gone stratospheric, and tops out a fantastic 12 months with what could easily be the mix of the year. Released through the ever consistent !K7 label out of Berlin, Maya Jane Coles DJ Kicks reflects everything that is a good about house music today, covering a wide base of sounds, but with the emphasis most definitely on quality. There’s house (obviously) electro, dub step, techno and even some old school acid and UK Garage in there.

In my humble opinion, this is what the young uns bring to dance music, their references and sources are now so broad, that they hear connections in sounds and styles that old bods like me would never think about putting together… And I know I’m old enough to be her father and I shouldn’t be getting excited by what 20 something women are doing blah, blah..  But dance music for me is still such a big thing, and I’m pretty certain that repetitive beats and machine made sounds will always move me.  So it’s excellent that the next generation are still nurturing and developing this wonderful music.

And finally Killing Joke…

MMXII is not a ground breaking record you understand, but its so much more than just another record, and is certainly an impressive return to form. Jaz is still warning the world of injustice and the coming apocalypse, but he sounds more convincing than he has for while, whilst Geordie, Youth and Paul Ferguson provide a tight, incendiary soundtrack full of power and ace riffs, that echo and magnify the doom laded prophecies of their intense front man…

Marvellous.. Check out my favourite track Rapture if you don’t believe me…

(bit of a shit cover though eh?)

The Joke Remains The Same… Killing Joke @ The Roundhouse, Camden

Last night we were at the Roundhouse in Camden to see the mighty Killing Joke who are on tour in their original 1978 line up…

It was a surprise for my Little A. Back in the day she was a huge fan, and one of the things that originally attracted me to her was her interest in and knowledge of, music in general and of UK post punk bands in particular. When over drinks in the pub, I found out that she had every vinyl 12″, 7″ and 10″ that The Joke had put out (up to about 1983/84) along with most of the original early vinyl output of Gary Numan, Bauhaus and Siouxsie & the Banshees (to name just a few) I was well impressed to say the least.

I’d never seen Killing Joke play before, but And had, several times, and in fact, she worked out that the last time was probably in Digbeth, Birmingham in 1983.. which is VERY scarily nearly 30 years ago.

I like Killing Joke: I like the craziness of Jaz Coleman, with his seriousness and his doomongering, occult and apocalyptic beliefs, I like “Big” Paul Ferguson’s immense tribal drumming, and I like the huge sonic onslaught that typifies most of their tunes.

But most of all, I like Geordie Walker’s guitar sound… On stage, he plays in a minimal effort, can’t really be bothered, laid back kind of style, but the sound that comes out of his hollow body Gibson ES295 Gold Top is truly an awesome thing. He looks so cool, almost peripheral to the proceedings, but in actuality right at  its very heart; simple riffs, doubled up through his effects rack, with that lovely deep resonance that hollow body guitars generate… truly one of the guitar greats of his generation.

Last night’s set was really amazing. Jaz Coleman’s voice is still as strong as ever and it’s incredible how much energy a bunch of 50 year olds can generate.  If I was to be slightly critical, I might suggest that they didn’t play enough old tunes, but to be honest the tunes I didn’t recognise sounded so good at full volume, that it didn’t really matter that we didn’t hear Follow the Leader or Eighties.

Thankfully though, I got to hear my all time favourite Joke track, Requiem and I can’t believe just how fantastic it still sounds, see what you think…

They have a new record out next month, more of the same I suspect (hope) but that’s what they do best, and on the strength of the last one, the very good in places Absolute Dissent, long may The Joke continue to entertain us…

I’ll leave you with some of the bands rather fine, early 80′s cut and past/ low fi art work…