Music / afrobeat
Review: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble/No Go Stop!
Before the event there was some confusion about the venue for this gig and even on the night things were still pretty confused. As it was we ended up filing through a gate behind the Old Fire Station and into the dilapidated remains of the old Magistrate’s Court where DJ Typesun was laying down atmospheric dubstep sounds to dispel any legacy of hanging and flogging that might have remained. The thrown-together shabbiness of the place lent a definite warehouse chic to proceedings, though it was doubtful that either live band would enjoy the old ‘bench’ area’s narrow strip of stage. It certainly looked a squeeze for the 12-strong No Go Stop! Collective but it didn’t prove a constraint – the sledgehammer brass chords over ebullient percussion immediately provided the necessary dance energy from the off. The sound filled the room, the room filled with people and – yes! we had a party. It was a tightly organised sound, with Marie Lister’s vocals and variously instrumental solos judiciously used to capture the unhurried Afrobeat sound to perfection. Typesun caught the energy and pumped it up further before the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble hit the stage, capering with hip hop moves, jumping on the monitors and giving it a lot of “What Up, Bristol?”. Cue the room rammed to the walls, big love etc etc – this lot had brought a following but rapidly gained some more for a sound that overlaid breakbeat drums and bass with richly harmonised 6-part brass and declamatory lyrics. “Kryptonite” took it up a gear, verging on Rage Against The Machine territory despite its electro-swing precision, “Party Starter” actually clinched the deal, the party having started long before. This Chicago-rooted outfit were superb entertainment, full of club-style crowd provocations that gave an appealing front to music steeped more in the Funk Brothers than Sun Ra. They were clearly a danceable prospect, too – if there had only been room to move.
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