Once More, With Feeling!

Do you remember the nineties, when electronic music was hailed as the "next big thing?" MTV had its show Amp, which showed nothing but videos from electronic artists (some of them absolutely amazing). The rave scene was in full swing, and glowstick shares were trading up. Of course it couldn't last, and it didn't.

There are plenty of reasons why it didn't work out they way some executives thought it would, but the lack of "faces" is no doubt part of the "problem." Electronic music focuses on either anonymous producers or DJs that spend their time behind the decks (or a laptop or stacks of gear). Except for more rockist hybrids like Atari Teenage Riot or the Prodigy, there just wasn't someone in front for the public at large to latch onto.

Of course, there are some exceptions to that rule. There are a few personalities that have managed to break free of the typical everyman mold, and while they might be mocked, they still provide a welcome change from the usual.

The UK's John B (no, not this one), is certainly cut from a different cloth than other drum and bass producer/DJs. He practically bludgeons you with his appreciation for 80s era fashion and excess. More eyeliner? Sure. More hairspray? Definitely.

The look is one thing, but John B's got the ego to match, playing his tracks with full "Fuck yeah!" confidence. In a genre where most DJs are content to just play their tracks and call it a night, John B exudes the kind of personality and stage presence that many bands can't match.

So with all of this talk about everything else, what about the music? Isn't that what really matters? Why yes it is, and for all of his spectacle, John B doesn't disappoint. Unlike a lot of drum and bass DJs that stick to one style for an entire evening, John B tends to jump around a bit, mixing his drum and bass with electro and more synth-oriented tracks. Toss in the odd 80s reworking ("Hey Mickey" anyone?), and you get a one-man extension of the electroclash movement, but replacing balls-to-the-wall enthusiasm for that movement's disaffectedness.

Between the fashion, ego, and music, John B provides enough entertainment for drum and bass' diehards and newbies alike. If nothing else, you can see what happens when different breeds of hipsters collide. And of course make fun of them.

John B set with MC Lowqui at GreenBeatz, Cologne, August 2004

John B
Tuesday, January 17, 10pm-2am
War Room, 722 E Pike St.
$10 @ door, 21+