Simple Things, aka one of the most highly-anticipated days of the year amongst the Crack Magazine staff, returns this week. Last year, the organisers switched up the format of the festival, splicing the schedule into separate day and night programmes. This year, Simple Things expands even further – encompassing a world premiere for an opening night, talks, exclusives, installations and loads more to get stuck into.
If you’re planning on attending both the day and night schedules, you’re going to need to plan ahead to ensure that musically, you’ve made the most of your Simple Things. Sure, you can just stick to one venue – but we strongly recommend that you take stock of the festival’s musical offerings.
Powering through is certainly no easy feat either. There will, inevitably, be clashes, gripes and friends dropping off during the marathon – but we’re here to help. Below, we’ve mapped out how best to navigate your way through the eye-watering line-up. Download the Simple Things app here, rally your crew and get going.
William Basinski
IMAX, 19.00-23.00 (18 October)Simple Things kicks off in style this year with a world premiere from William Basinski. The ambient master will present the live audiovisual show 10,000 Peacock Feathers in Foaming Acid for the very first time – so be the first to watch it and brag about it to your mates who missed out later. A soothing start to what’s sure to be a wild weekend, ease into the festival with Basinski’s decaying tape loops, go home, put on a face mask and feel refreshed for the main day.
15 Years of Hyperdub with Kode9, Cooly G and Marcus Scott (Discussion)
IMAX, 13.30-14.30OK, so the marathon starts here. Make sure you drink enough water. We’d recommend starting your day off with some cerebral stimulation by sitting in on a retrospective look at the legendary Hyperdub. Kode9’s label has been at the razor’s edge of electronic music for 15 years and the founder’s academic history, particularly the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit at Warwick University, has meant the imprint has led with the head as much as the body. Crack Magazine co-founder Thomas Frost sits down with label manager Marcus Scott, label stalwart Cooly G and Kode9 himself.
Aïsha Devi pres. I Am Not Always Where My Body Is (Multi-user Virtual Reality Experience)
Millennium Square, 12.00-17.00After that stimulating beginning, head on over to the Millennium Square. As if a William Basinski world premiere wasn’t enough, Simple Things have commissioned an exclusive VR show with Swiss-born Nepalese-Tibetan producer Aïsha Devi. An experimentalist with big ideas, Aïsha Devi is a singular figure in the underground scene today – one who can’t be so easily defined. From guttural throat singing to heady club sounds, the focus is always on the spiritual and mystical. This is set to be a one-off show and VR isn’t a typical way to experience music, so get involved in the multi-user experience with your mates before you later lose them at Lakota.
Skinny Pelembe
Colston Hall (Upstairs), 17.15-17.45Skinny Pelembe draws on a myriad of influences, from his time in the studio with Heliocentrics drummer Malcolm Catto to his adolescent love of drum’n’bass. Luckily, however, his music sounds nothing like the kind of 180 jazz fusion you might imagine. Instead, expect dub-inspired breakdowns, dreamlike vocals and an ultimately captivating set when he takes to Colston Hall.
Cooly G
Christmas Steps, 18.00-20.00As day turns into night, Hyperdub mainstay Cooly G is set to bring a much-needed dose of post-dubstep, UK funky and house to our beloved pub terrace on Saturday eve. Renowned for her experimentations, genre-defiance and top-level selections, G’s set is sure to be a highlight. Picture the scene: a pint, (or a spritz, hot girl summer is over when we say it is) in hand, the sun going down and the best of British underground club music blasting across the courtyard. Bliss.
Big Joanie
Sportsman, 19.00-19.30If guitars are more your thing, don’t miss Big Joanie at the Sportsman. One of the most exciting punk bands in the country, the London-based trio are firmly DIY and by their own description sound like “The Ronettes filtered through 80s DIY and riot grrrl with a sprinkling of dashikis.” See you in the pit.
Holly Herndon
SWX, 19.45-20.45Seeing out the festival’s day programme is the musical futurist Holly Herndon, who, for the first time, will be performing her latest album PROTO live in the city. To create one of the most exciting albums of the year, Herndon enlisted the help of AI baby ‘Spawn’, Jlin and a choral ensemble. These complex compositions ponder the future of technology, augmented reality, algorithms and surveillance. No one knows what the future will hold, but come and explore it with us anyway at SWX.
DJ Lag
Christmas Steps, 20.00-22.00A definite highlight on the schedule, it’s not often that DJ Lag makes his way to Bristol. So, be sure to make some time for this one. Race over to the Christmas Steps, aka the Crack Magazine pub, get yourself a pint and throw it down to some gqom bangers. The night starts here. Drinks will inevitably be spilled and arms raised during 3 Steps Culo, so get involved. Alternatively, there’s seating inside.
object blue
Planetarium, 21.00-21.40object blue is one of the most engaging producers who’s had her come up on the London underground circuit in recent years. Having debuted her first audiovisual show, FIGURE BESIDE ME, in London not long ago, she now brings the 360° collaboration with wife and visual artist Natalia Podgorska to Bristol’s Planetarium. There, Podgorska’s visuals will be shown across the dome-shaped space, accompanied by object blue’s pummelling club sonics. Lay back and watch the sparks fly.
A Certain Ratio
Colston Hall (Downstairs), 21.30-22.30Funkier than Bauhaus and more brooding than the Talking Heads, A Certain Ratio are the perfect midpoint in post-punk. One of the first acts to release on the now legendary Factory Records, alongside Joy Division and Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark, the Ratio have been going since ‘77 and they’re still much, much better than your favourite band live.
Kode9 x Kōji Morimoto x Konx-om-Pax
IMAX, 22.30-23.15After the talk earlier in the day, Kode9 is set to return to his modus operandi with a stunning show at the IMAX. He’ll be accompanied by Konx-om-Pax, who’s created a visual spectacle from mangas by Kōji Morimoto, the legendary animator who’s worked on Akira and Fist of the North Star.
Ata Kak
Colston Hall (Downstairs), 23.15-00.00Keep your Saturday night going at Colston Hall. Reissued by Awesome Tapes from Africa in 2015, Ata Kak’s only album, Obaa Sima, attained cult status almost overnight. A head-spinning mix of Ghanaian highlife, hyperactive synths and frantic, almost cartoonish rapping, Ata Kak’s music sounds like a whirlwind that’s sucked up almost every significant musical trend of the late 80s and spat it back out all twisted together. We defy you not to dance.
Avalon Emerson
Lakota (Room 1), 00.00-03.00Avalon Emerson is one of the best DJs around, second to none in building sets that are at once intense, driving and gorgeously emotive. We’ve seen her pummel dancefloors under a barrage of concussive power and we’ve seen her close out a festival with a t.A.T.u. remix, and there’s not much in between she can’t or won’t do. Her now infamous Art of DJing discussion shows just how dedicated she is to her craft, and Emerson is a DJ you can rely on to turn the party inside out.
Girl Unit
Coroners Court (Room 2), 01.00-03.00Speaking of which, Night Slugs is a more recent example of the same impulse, and nobody personified their marriage of pop-facing hip-hop, R&B and mutant club music more than Girl Unit when the label initially dominated the UK landscape. After years of relative silence he returned this year with Song Feel, showing everyone that his powers for making glittery bangers never waned. Having soundtracked many of our early clubbing experiences, we can’t wait for this one.
Josey Rebelle
Coroners Court (Room 2), 03.00-05.00Rinse FM star Josey Rebelle cuts a formidable figure behind the decks. Crossing genres without a moment’s notice – from electro to jungle and more – it’s not unusual for dancers to be left breathless on the ‘floor during her unpredictable sets. What’s for certain though, is that the dancefloor will be experiencing some peak time selections during these two hours. Regroup with your friends and lock in.
Laurel Halo b2b Parris
Lakota (Room 2), 02.30-05.00If you’ve got some time, head on over Room 2 in Lakota for a few hours; the Wisdom Teeth-curated line-up is going to be popping off with a back-to-back session between Hyperdub’s Laurel Halo and London-based producer Parris. Halo has been responsible for creating some of the best electronic releases over the past decade, and her UK funky set at our Patterns party in Brighton was one of our favourites of the year. Combine that with Parris – who takes his cues from grime and dubstep and celebrates bass-heavy music through his sets – and you’re going to be shaking your booty to some bassy bangers.
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