Ill Commotion live at Cargo, 31/03/04 featuring Doc Brown, Lowkey, Mystro, IQ, Blakey and the X-Ecutioners.

Note: Following a few discussions and some feedback from previous live reviews, we decided to try something new and bring you two reviews of the same event, to try and give it a broader angle and show some different aspects and views. We start with the review of this event at Cargo, with the first review by Laurent Fintoni and the second by Dave Silver. All feedback and opinions on this are welcome, and if you would like to do some reviews for the resource in the same vein as this then please contact me. peace.

Review 1

Tonight saw one of the oldest and most respected DJ crews pass through town, ahead of the release of their album, Revolutions, and the day before their appearance at the Barbican as part of the “Absolute Zappa” tribute night. In support, Ill Commotion (the organisers of the event) brought some of the finest talents in the UK scene, both on the mic and behind the tables. DJs IQ and Blakey were both showcasing, while Doc Brown (the host of the night) was accompanied by Lowkey, one of the most promising young UK rappers, and both were followed by the mighty Mystro, who was showcasing his “Music Mystro” EP/LP.

The event was taking place at Cargo, one of the more intimate venues London has to offer, as when the main room hits full capacity you have to squeeze in and then, well you can’t really do anything but check the on stage talent and wait for the night’s main attraction to come on while you fight your way to the bar and back. IQ and Blakey were both good, though personally Blakey’s routine did it more for me, and most of the crowd it seems. Still both of these promising young DJs gave their best and did a find job of rocking the crowd. And when you open up for a crew that has such a strong history, you know you can’t fall short of any expectation. And they sure didn’t disappoint with cuts, juggles and remixes to keep heads bopping.

The rhymesayers for the evening were also all on form, with Doc Brown and Lowkey showing great talent and stage presence, as they moved through various of their numbers, and showed the crowd why they are some of the most talented up and coming UK lyricists. Mystro also did as fine a job as you would expect from one of the more long-standing UK rhymers, followed them. He ran through old and new numbers such as ‘Free the Walls’, ‘Open Mic’ and ‘Music Mystro’. His stage presence and his ability to interact with the crowd and get them to feel like they are a part of the show are some of the reasons why his live shows are always packed and highly enjoyable. Tonight was no exception and look out for Mysdiggi coming somewhere near you soon!

And onto the main course of the evening, as the X sauntered on stage, one after the other. Down to 3 since Mr.Sinista left the crew after the last album, the X still have what it takes to rock a crowd, and bring those often forgotten party vibes and hiphop atmosphere. If you were after a turntablistic showcase extravaganza, then you got it, but not as you would have expected. Instead of relying on tired old clichés, and repetitive scratch routines with quadruple click flares on top of an electro beat, the X tore through some of their most well known numbers, in the process injecting some nuances into them and keeping the music fresh and the audience interested. Raida offered those assembled the chance to witness his DMC winning ‘body tricks’ routine live, while Rob Swift and Total Eclipse delivered some of the most amazing and intricate juggling routines I have seen in a long time, not just technical but incredibly funky. Rob broke down ‘Get your freak on’ before letting Total Eclipse make the room explode as he remixed ‘Ante Up’ much to the pleasure of the assembled crowd. Heads were bopping, jaws were dropping on the floor and girls were getting down to the sounds of the X. The show might not have been groundbreaking, or pushing anything new as such, but the talent of the assembled DJs and their ability to channel their energy into dancefloor funk is something that you cannot resist, unless you are a goth, and in the wrong place!

It was back to the old days of the block parties, as they relied on some trustworthy classic breaks and hiphop gems, which all got a deserved remix and mash up. They cut together, juggled together, rearranged tracks and delivered a couple of their new tunes too, though those seemed to be less well received. It’s hard to tell whether it was the fact that most of the audience had never heard them, or that the tracks chosen, including “Like this” featuring Nikki and “The Countdown”, weren’t as energetic and moving as some of their previous productions, but the audience’s reception wasn’t what I expected. Nonetheless it didn’t stop the X from getting the crowd hyped again by dropping back into some classics, adding some body tricks, rotating on the one deck, and all the while keeping a smile on their faces and a whole room bouncing from side to side. They left after 45 or so minutes, leaving me and most of the audience wondering whether or not this whole thing had just happened… As Doc Brown came on stage, and asked everyone if they wanted more X, the crowd chanted, threw their arms in the air, and the 3 of them came back on stage for some more, including Raida’s ‘Ninja of Rap’ routine, and some more memorable moments.

The X had come to town again and once more showed why they are such respected figures in the world of hiphop and DJing. It might not have been a groundbreaking performance (unlike their Barbican one the following night), but it was a fine display of skills both technical and compositional. They showed great interactivity and showmanship, kind of like when you first discovered all those great DJs and what they did back in the golden age of battles. The technicality was there, but only as a tool for musicality and to let the music shine through and get the people moving. It really reminded me of when I first fell in love with turntable music, and thought that these type of events were the greatest. They still are in a way, especially when done by people like the X, who have love for the music, the artform and the people, and won’t compromise a good show for anything in the world. They might be signed to a major and have become the first group of scratch DJs to have two albums released on a more mainstream basis, but that doesn’t mean that their work or their live appearances have lost any of their meaning or their strength. They can rock it and they will rock it, turning heads in the process and reminding everybody that at the end of the day, it’s all some hiphop shit…

Review 2

The night saw showcases by DJ IQ and the as always party-rockin’ DJ Blakey, coupled with short sets by the huge but humorous giant that is Mystro and regulars Doc Brown and Lowkey. All this paved the way for the increasingly agitated crowd to finally see who they had all been waiting for – The X-Ecutioners.

Starting off with Rob Swift yelling “what’s up motherfuckin’ London” we knew we were in for a memorable night. Shifting through classic breaks and a few well-known tunes, their seamless transitions from one tune to the next kept the sausage-fest of a crowd standing still in awe, with some obviously drunk punters dancing their nuts off. Juggles from all three of the crew were present as always, with Total Eclipse standing out, juggling and cutting up everything from “Ante Up” to “Apache”. At one point the three seemed to beat juggle together between all six decks as if they were one super person. They combined mixing and cutting between one another complete with pirouetting and exchanging places across the stage, keeping with the high energy performance of the whole set. Roc Raida showed that body tricks were still alive with his classic ‘Ninja of Rap’ routine using all parts of his anatomy, which personally had me in stitches seeing as it won him the DMC all these years back.

They played two tunes from the new album, one a standard break with all the traditional cuts from the X, nothing that we hadn’t seen before. The other on the contrary was a bassy house-sounding tune complete with some funky scratching, showing their ability to stick to their roots but also have ideas outside the box. Along with the idea of The X teaming up with groups like fake punk rockers Good Charlotte for their new album ‘Revolutions’, it is easier to understand why Sinista might have left the crew.

Their ability to balance the old with the new seems to come naturally and although their style has hardly changed through the years, no one does it better. This night proved that their legendary status has been set in stone and no matter how many ‘wack’ acts they collaborate with to break into the mainstream we know they still have the skills to rock any crowd, with all elements of their set being highly entertaining. After all, who wouldn’t want to make a bit of cash from what they’ve been doing all these years?

Be sure to check out our review of the extraordinary X-Ecutioners' gig for the Frank Zappa tribute night at the Barbican, which you can find in our archive! Many thanks to the guys at Ill Commotion, email them for more info on their upcoming events.

Review 1 by L.Fintoni, review 2 by Dave Silver and all photos by Ella Cooper. Be sure to check our gallery of pictures from this event which is in our gallery section!