Review: KCRW Presents Massive Attack

From KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole:

You gotta love those gigs, the ones that are planned eight hours before they start.

This past Tuesday I got the call to deejay for Massive Attack’s VIP afterparty in the upstairs lounge of the Wiltern, to kick off their three-night run in Los Angeles. I’m a big fan of their music, have been for a decade, but even more exciting in my mind was the prospect of meeting legendary Reggae vocalist Horace Andy. Horace sings on some of Massive Attack’s best tunes (in my opinion) and, being that he’s also on their new record,Heligoland, my fingers were crossed that he would be blessing the stage on this tour. They put on an amazing and intense show, and immediately afterwards the VIP lounge filled up with guests and industry heads (that actually danced!) awaiting their arrival.

My good friend and fellow KCRW DJ Aaron Byrd jumped on my turntables to mix a few songs as well. Some modern Dub, a Radiohead remix and few other tunes later, the band entered the room quietly and started dancing with everyone else. Sure enough my finger-crossing worked, and there was Horace Andy grooving on the floor next to my booth.

It took everything in me NOT to play some Horace Andy songs FOR HORACE ANDY, but while some artists dig hearing their own music, it’s an unspoken rule to abstain from it. Ah, the abstract rulebook of DJetiquette.

People danced until the Wiltern had to close down, and afterwards Aaron and I had a great time connecting with Horace, Daddy G and the rest of the Massive Attack crew. It’s great when you meet people who’ve inspired you through the years, only to find out that they are as cool as you thought. Another future memory, for sure.

Editor’s Note: Massive Attack will be performing live on Morning Become Eclectic soon and, for those who haven’t heard Jeremy Sole live, be sure to catch his Thursday night Afro Funke’event at the Zanzibar, and join his Facebook page to stay in the know on all his gigs.

http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/pg