CLARK

Koko, Camden | September 15th

Warp Records stalwart Clark’s latest EP Fantasm Planes recently released to typically generous acclaim, Crack made its way to the official launch party at Camden’s Koko to see what the new material had to offer in the flesh. Droves of electronic and IDM fans made their way to an event featuring a broad and impressive line-up, and those who didn’t deserve deepest sympathies.

We entered the venue to Illum Sphere’s A/V set featuring EMN, making for a smooth entrance to the night’s programme. It proved a promise of good things to come, providing the best visuals of the night. Illum Sphere’s offerings simply gripped you by the knackers.

Musically, the evening was uncompromising and dynamic, delivered with heart and conviction. Shigeto continued to set the tone, armed with a laptop and a drum kit. With the crowd approaching a solid density there was no time for beard scratching, as he conjured up whomping, genre-shifting IDM, moving from laptop to live percussion and back again in a manner that wasnothing short of heroic. The shapes in the crowd followed suit.

Raffertie stepped up to the plate with something new, the first time supported by a live three piece set up and witnessed by naked eyes. The sound possessed crescendos galore, with one element pattering out only for another to swell in its place; like waves on the shore, but the sort that drag you out to sea, never to return. The beginning of an adventure, rather than an ill-gotten con involving a kayak, it was deeply immersive, with a refreshingly different dynamic to the other acts that night.

In steps Clark. The man has revamped his sound and maintained the blend of diced up bass, bleep, glitches, and haunting melodies that make up the unmistakeable character so well-established. The new material follows on strongly from his successful Iradelphic LP, complete with a more dancefloor-targeted vibe than past, suited ideally to the live area. For the hardcore IDM buff, lethal epileptic shapes go without saying with regards to Clark. Yet this set had the whole crowd, even the unsuspecting “how the fuck did I get here?” crew, infectiously fidgeting about as if praying for rain after a yearlong drought.

Eskmo’s live sampling maintained the momentum with mind-bending creativity. Give a man a mixer and he’ll do you a set, but give this man, well, a bunch of stuff, he’ll create you a world. At one point we’re sure he opened a coke can into the mic. Whatever he did, armed with a mixing desk alone Eskmo could probably liberate a small country.

The icing on this get down and loose yourself gateaux was provided by electronic heavyweights Plaid. Providing nothing less than the quality you’d expect, they dropped high calibre beats, exploring a future sound, heavier than that featured on the Scintilli LP. A space-time continuum of what they have done, do, and are yet to do, Plaid finished big, almost blasting flesh off bone. All present lost the plot. The whole night had been a narrative of epic proportion, and a technical showcase of pinpoint perfection.

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Words and Photo:  Claude Barbé-Brown