Review: DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist perform The Hard Sell @ The Roundhouse
Posted by: minifigpootles on: 14 March, 2008
Before the music started, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist came onto the stage and Shadow gave a little speech about the beginnings of the project. Apparently, someone had asked the two of them to get back together and perform 1999’s Brainfreeze. They thought differently and thought that they would push the boundaries of 45s DJ-ing by creating an entirely new set. Is it really wrong of me to wish that they’d stuck with the original plan?
To be fair, last night’s performance was a pretty amazing exercise in hip-hop DJ-ing from a couple of the world’s best. There was some cracking music and I don’t regret for a moment going. The visuals were generally stunning, and, although a little patronising, even the little introductory video explaining what they were about to do was quite handy.
I think that they main problem was that they never quite seemed to pull the atmosphere of the Roundhouse into territory that you could call electric. People had fun, there was as much dancing as you’d expect at this sort of event (i.e. not much – DJ geeks didn’t get into DJ-ing because they like dancing – precisely the opposite is generally the case) but the event as a whole could never really be described as spectacular or amazing, despite the clearly immense technical ability on show.
Which brings me back to Brainfreeze.
Brainfreeze was amazing. But really, it wasn’t amazing because of the technical ability of the people that put it together – it was amazing because the quality of music was just faultless. And if I’m being honest about last night’s gig, I think the quality of the music itself did not meet the quality of the DJs mixing it together. And surely that must be in class 101 in DJ university?
7 Responses to "Review: DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist perform The Hard Sell @ The Roundhouse"
14 March, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Exactly. I’m not complaining that they didn’t perform Brainfreeze, really. What I’m complaining about was that what they performed instead just wasn’t as good.
I think they used all of their favourite 45s in Brainfreeze and Product Placement and eBay just didn’t win out this time.
Oh, and spot on, Kid Koala rocked the (round)house. His performance of Moon River got more of a response than almost anything else all night!
14 March, 2008 at 1:47 pm
I completley agree with you guys. The are wicked Dj’s technically but they forgot (or dont know how too (I know contoversial)) that they had to rock the crowd. The first rule of Djin is ’selecting’ the tunes the people like. We all know they are technical masters, but if the crowd aint responding to a tune you need to change tack. This wasnt the case last night. This is what we have done, if you dont like it then ..sorry you gonna have to stand through it anyway.
Dont get me wrong, there were some classic moments, Apache, few classic electro tunes but this was out weighed by the long long tracks that were not good soon as they came on, let alone 5 minutes later!
I found it just weird. How many breaks have they got between them. My god they could play for days!
Sorry fella’s you forgot the fundamentals here. Came out dissapointed.
17 March, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Interestingly, I persuaded a London-type to Manchester this weekend to see System Seven and Eat Static and was reliably informed that there were WAY more people dancing at that gig than you would ever see at the same event in London. Maybe it’s not DJ geeks not dancing, maybe it’s just you London types and your uber-cool ways. 
23 March, 2008 at 9:54 pm
Actually, as I said my main problem was the expectation. I wanted to listen to something completely different on that night. However I just got the Hard Sell and I’m listening to it and it is brilliant.
It happens lot of times that you go somewhere with some expectation (be it a premier of a new movie of your favourite director or the most awaited Dj “mates”, like it was the case now) and when you don’t have it you get disappointed. I think you cannot do anything against it, except giving an another chance to it.
So give it an another chance you won’t regret it
I got two more things to say:
1., Dj Shadow and Cut Chemist please come back to London to play this again!!!!
2., Kid Koala is still fuckin’ awesome!!!
14 March, 2008 at 12:22 pm
I agree. And I’m happy that not I’m the only one who felt this. Don’t get me wrong I’m really happy to saw them playing but I myself would have preferred someting like Brainfreeze as well.
I know some of the wokrs of Dj Shadow and it is not necessary brilliant. E.g. I don’t like what he did with Dan the Automator.
And also I understand the world keeps spinning and time is ticking and Brainfreeze is from 1999 and it is 2007 now so I can’t expect them to do the same. I don’t say what they did was not good in general. It probably was brilliant for the ones who likes this kind of music. I don’t. It was boring a bit. Too much of… well too much of everything. Too complex and skill focused. Instead of playing just for the joy of playing itself. They wanted to show what they can do with 8 turntables 7″-s and loop pedals. And I think they showed they can do ANYTHING. But it was too professional for me.
I have to confess I bought the Hard Sell DVD before the show started. At the end of the show I swapped it to Brainfreeze DVD and a Kid Koala CD. (btw.: Kid Koala was awesome)