Gunkhole European Tour 2004, live at The Medecine Bar, Birmingham 28/04/04

Billed as "arguably the best scratch DJs in the world", Gunkhole's European tour debut was always going to be something special. Composed of D-Styles, Ricci Rucker and Mike Boogie on turntables and effects and Ace on drums Gunkhole brought their own brand of funk to Europe for a tour that promised to be an eye opener to what can be achieved musically on turntables.
Unfortunately their debut was plagued by a few problems that did not affect the performance but made the rest of the evening slightly less enjoyable. First of all they were held up at customs meaning that the show was delayed by a few hours to allow a late soundcheck, this in turn meant we were unable to get an interview with the guys (though be sure to check back in a month for a delayed interview). Some equipment blew up during soundcheck, meaning more delays, Woody who was meant to be on before Gunkhole was unable to attend, leaving the audience fidgeting for a few hours as the soundcheck was finalised. Nonetheless we were treated to some excellent beatboxing by UK legend Chase, who kept the crowd entertained before the main event. Paul S of the P Brothers was also there to keep heads entertained with some nice breaks and old school hiphop, Heavy Bronx style.

And after a few hours of waiting Gunkhole hopped on stage and Ace announced that we were about to see and hear something we had never before. And I must admit he was partly right in that assumption. They describe Gunkhole as the band without genre, and as such the statement could not be more accurate. In just over an hour they created music live in front of the audience that truly did cross boundaries and genres like nothing I have ever seen before on turntables. The music they created was at times reminiscent of the atmospheric soundscapes of DJ Krush, at other times of the French downtempo sounds of Air, and some of it even sounded like some psychedelic 70s rock band. But even these attempts at categorising some of their sound pales in front of the live musical experience they provided on the night. Improvising throughout they showed how the turntable can be an instrument in the truest sense of the term, away from the hiphop roots and influences of turntablism and towards music in the broadest sense of the word. The show was not about technicality or how fast each DJ could pull a move, instead it was about their use of the sounds and how using the inherent technicality of scratching they could manipulate those sounds to fit with each other and compliment Ace’s drumming to create something that was more then just some DJs scratching to a beat.

Yet their ability to create music in that way and to take it away from most people’s preconceptions of what turntable music is may also very well be their main problem. As the turntablist artform is still mostly associated with hiphop culture and sounds, the people who came to see the show were by all accounts expecting something that would fit the accepted general view of what turntablism is in relation to hiphop as a musical genre, i.e some DJs scratching to a beat, using recognisable samples, juggling etc... And because Gunkhole couldn’t be further from this it seems that most people did not realise or connect with what it is they were seeing. I suppose it may sound pretentious to say that most people did not fully understand what they were seeing and hearing and yet there cannot be any other explanation for the audience’s reactions to the show. It wasn’t a set by a bunch of DJs, it wasn’t a showcase of skills, it was an hour of music created on turntables and unfortunately it seems that is something that most people who come to a hiphop gig, cannot yet relate to. Now if Gunkhole were to play at a festival or in front of an audience that expected to hear music, and not hiphop, then I would bet that the reception and impact of the music would be as powerful if not more. The audience’s expectation at a hiphop gig are bound to be tied to the people’s knowledge and understanding of what hiphop and thus turntablism is, and I must admit that not many people outside of the small internet based community that Gunkhole has created know who they are or what they do. I guess it’s a bit like going to an event with preconceptions and expectations of what you are going to see and hear and having those blown out of the window. Yet hiphop promoters are probably the first people and those most eager to put Gunkhole on. Between a rock and a hard place beggars can’t be choosers and at least Gunkhole are able to tour and bring their music to Europe which is not something anyone who sees them will frown upon.

In the end Gunkhole put on an amazing show that needs to be seen and heard to be believed, and even at the end when they came back on for a cutting session they sounded nothing like any cutting session I have ever heard. Their ability to transcend preconceptions of what turntable music can be is amazing and yet I can help but feel like right now that may also be the one thing that is keeping them back, as from the reactions and feedback of their other shows have shown a lot of people just aren’t ready for what they have to offer. They are breaking ground like other pioneers before them, and only time will tell of their impact on the music and the artform, but one thing is for sure, they are able to create music with turntables and make it sound like nothing you have ever heard before.

Stay tuned for more reviews of the Gunkhole European Tour, as we try and give you a better understanding of the shows and the music. Up next will be reviews from the French, Belgium and Italian shows. For more info on Gunkhole check Asisphonics and D-Styles.com. Many thanks to Pritt for trying to arrange the interview (better luck next time), Matt, Jim and Rich for the drive, the hotel and the good laughs on the night. All photos by Matt Hancock for rawbeats.com