Drive it like you stole it people...
Now a live band, the name The Glitch Mob doesn't really do the trio justice. The Glitch Mob describes a bunch of kids spinning heavy tunes on laptops. Glitching. Fronting. Repping. Being rudeboys.
The new incarnation of the Glitch Mob is a live band. Live glitch hop – searingly heavy, rough-edged beats played live on instruments and layered with the samples you'll remember from their remixes. What they're attempting is admirable – recreation and development of their sound in a live format – with all three of them on drum pads. edIT is the multi-instrumentalist of the trio – on keys, guitar and effects – whilst Ooah and Boreta bash it out on drum pads.
The thing is, one of the major appeals of their laptop show and their productions is the slickness. The beautiful, synthesised sound which is so perfectly, orgasmically artificial. Live, it's sloppier, less polished and pretty far removed from the original premise. They play only one ‘classic’ – the rest of the show is all their new live productions from their debut album, ‘Drink The Sea’. They're fulfilling a niche for sure – no one has attempted what they are doing – and I appreciate what they're aiming for (we’re right behind you boys.) But the fact is that, although it’s a noble cause and an innovative idea, the music is not as exciting. Sure, it’s heavy, it’s the same huge sounds – but it doesn’t set the room on fire, make the dancefloor sparkle and undulate like the trio did digitally.
You’re not rubbing your eyes going “what the fuck?” By the fifth tune you are, to be brutally honest, kind of bored. The sound does have huge initial impact: when they launch into their massive single, “Drive It Like You Stole It”, the dance floor goes berserk. It’s good, it’s epic, it’s the sound we came to see. Anthemic, full of resolution and laser bass. The concluding ‘West Coast Rocks’ is superb and everyone leaves the ground as one. It's just that we began to love them for their insanely amazing remixes and that's what we want to hear.
The Mob are included in the list of forefathers of the genre – alongside Bassnectar of course. Today, a huge number of artists are producing the glitchy, bassy, crunked out West Coast beats, but The Glitch Mob were one of the few who stuck their stake in the ground in the early days. And they are the main attraction tonight. As soon as they gather on stage the floor surges forward towards the three shadowy figures on the darkened stage – it’s difficult to make out who’s doing what. I don't know what the lighting dude is doing – the stage remains dark for the duration. And I have to say it’s the other acts who steal the show. Vadim absolutely kills it with a smashing first half hour of dubstep and heavy hip hop followed by a series of mainstream mash ups. Glitch hop DJ du jour Your Niece also has the crowd lapping the bass from the speakers with a series of absolute bangers.
It’s fantastic to hear this kind of stuff in Koko; the West Coast comes to Camden and the thunderous bass sounds epic through the KoKo rig. It begs the question: dance music played live – does it work? Should the Mob stick to DJing? I would LOVE to see them spin their magic and, having seen the live show, can’t help but think it would be more exciting.
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