The Streets live - what happened to the drum machine/laptop, and why does "dance" music live ever use real drums?

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Caught the streets live last week, was quite impressed with Mikes stage presence and the crowd loved all of the new tunes and the old, his Horace Andy like singer/mc was ace as well..

But why did he have a dodgy backing band that seemed to consist of session players trying to do drum n bass on a drum kit?

Was he seeking validation by using real instruments, is he gonna go the way of faithless?

― jk___@gabba___nting, Sunday, 23 May 2004 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)

And what was that Breakestra shit all about while i'm at it ?

― jk___@gabba___nting, Sunday, 23 May 2004 20:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I agree. Which gig were you at?

― Seth, Sunday, 23 May 2004 22:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Generally speaking I find it really depressing how every electronic group eventually succumbs to live drums. I thought that was one of the weaknesses of the most recent Basement Jaxx tour as well - no matter how good live drummers are they always sound too loose and fluid to capture the neurotic energy of the programmed beats.

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 23 May 2004 23:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm so conflicted on this issue. On one hand I agree, I wouldn't want the Streets or Jaxx to use live drums on the record, it's just not the sound. I like Prince's drum machines way better than his drummers.

On the other hand, imitating programming on the drums is sort of what I do with my free time, and when I go to live shows I really like seeing something different and more "fluid" than what's on the record (this is way I hardly ever go to hip-hop shows).

Maybe they should have more of a mix of the tracks and live drums, combining them or going back and forth.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 24 May 2004 00:27 (twenty-two years ago)

It's probably also an issue of giving the audience something unique for a live show, rather than just using the same preprogrammed beats from the recordings

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Monday, 24 May 2004 00:38 (twenty-two years ago)

With B Jaxx esp though the fluidity used to come in with the real-time fiddling with the groove that the duo did so brilliantly on their first tour. By bringing in so many other performers they've actually limited how much they can play around, and the two shows I saw last time around were absolutely identical whereas before they would diverge substantially. Perhaps I just shouldn't go twice in one tour!

― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Monday, 24 May 2004 00:54 (twenty-two years ago)

i just saw Vikter Duplaix and he had a live band (two keyboards and an electronic drum kit). i thought it was pretty cool. you get the fluidity of a live player, but the sound of a drum machine.

― JaXoN (JasonD), Monday, 24 May 2004 03:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Seth - Birmingham - homecoming!..

I guess the fluidity was with the Performer, rather than the backing track, with the streets as my companion at the event said, "its not about the music, its the lyrics", so it was better than a lot of hiphop gigs that tend to suffer from bad vocal sound quality and undicepherable lyrics, mike was definatly the focus, but i would have prefered a DJ/drum machine lurking in the back rather than a muddy backing band.. ..

― jk___@gabba___nting, Monday, 24 May 2004 08:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Safri Duo to thread.

― Siegbran (eofor), Monday, 24 May 2004 09:05 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't remember if the Rapture used live drums, i'm sure they did but they also had electronic ones which sounded totally kickass

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 24 May 2004 09:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I was at Brum also. I was the barechested, crowdsurfing kid.

― Seth, Monday, 24 May 2004 09:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i just saw Vikter Duplaix and he had a live band (two keyboards and an electronic drum kit)

I watched Spektrum the other night and they too used an electronic drum kit. It sounded fantastic, why don't more bands use this?

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Monday, 24 May 2004 10:11 (twenty-two years ago)

I couldn't imagine programmed drumms being able to kewp up with the shambles of a Streets show I saw. I mean shambles in a good way. Lot's of drunken improvisational bits and little speeches and the tossing of people and beer. I don't know if programmed beats would fit the flow.

― danh, Monday, 24 May 2004 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

I couldn't imagine programmed drums being able to keep up with the shambles of a Streets show I saw. I mean shambles in a good way. Lot's of drunken improvisational bits and little speeches and the tossing of people and beer. I don't know if programmed beats would fit the flow.

― danh, Monday, 24 May 2004 14:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Mouse on Mars live does this right -- although many of the drums are electronic pads whose timbre can be manipulated and there is also a ton of tight sequencing happening.

― Mark (MarkR), Monday, 24 May 2004 14:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Steve, of course the Ratpure drummed live!

― Crickets Dance On Tequila Booty (Barima), Monday, 24 May 2004 14:12 (twenty-two years ago)

the 909 and cowbell sounded way better tho innit

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 24 May 2004 14:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I guess dance acts use real drummers live to satisfy lovers of "real" music (yuck), who are always moaning that dance music can't be performed live... ;-)

As for me, bring on the drummachines and the synthesizers. The more electronics the better...

― Rudolf (Rudolf), Monday, 24 May 2004 14:18 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.subconsciousstudios.com/download/images/drumosaurus.jpg
all will bow down to drumosaurus!

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Monday, 24 May 2004 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe the usual stunt of replacing a visual drummer with on-stage dancers was considered too sissy or too black.

― sexyDancer, Monday, 24 May 2004 17:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Cevin should use the drumosaurus on the new SP tour !

― kephm, Monday, 24 May 2004 17:44 (twenty-two years ago)

im hoping he does. they're coming here in a couple of weeks!!!!

― Felonious Drunk (Felcher), Monday, 24 May 2004 17:57 (twenty-two years ago)

I guess dance acts use real drummers live to satisfy lovers of "real" music (yuck), who are always moaning that dance music can't be performed live... ;-)

Or, watching drummers is more fun and visceral than watching almost any other kind of instrumentalist.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 24 May 2004 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Saw the Streets last year (I think in September?) when they were doing some US shows for the launch of Original Pirate Material and they seemed to have both live and sequenced drums going simultaneously. Worked pretty well as I remember...

― Graeme (Graeme), Monday, 24 May 2004 19:57 (twenty-two years ago)

V00redoms have 3 drummers and samplers/programming/electronix, i wouldn't have it any other way.

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 24 May 2004 20:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm not sure how live drums could possibly spoil the Streets live experience. I mean, who listens to them for the beats anyway?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 24 May 2004 20:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I dont care, I'll love real drums more than electronic ones (live) till the day I die. If that makes me rockist, so be it.

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 24 May 2004 20:58 (twenty-two years ago)

The day drummers killed the drum machine. Poetic. I can remember the controversial day that LL Cool J came out and exclaimed "No Samples", yet trained his live band to play those loops live. Genius. Easiest gig ever for those guys.

― cs appleby (cs appleby), Tuesday, 25 May 2004 02:30 (twenty-two years ago)

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