Breezing through the doors of Summerhall at 11pm on Friday night, you could hear the music tempting you from 3 rooms, a ribbont ywist of vibes emanating from live bands and a selection of some of the best DJs around. Stumbling into the Café Bar to see Nubiyan Twist live was a great starting point. A mix of Dub , African Beat, Jazz and Ska, Nubiyan Twist deliver a slick, smooth collection of hot grooves. With a voice like silk Nubiya Brandon delivers her lyrics with such grace, captivating the audience. A real treat to have been part of their live set…
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Nubiyan Twist
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I then filtered through the crowds to the main room where DJ Astrojazz was spinning those tunes that ignite your dancing soul. Man that guy can get a party flowing…
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Following on from DJ Astrojazz came the live set from Hidden Orchestra . What an interesting mixture of ambient, euphoric and background dance-beats; with the sound of the harp filtering through this was a magical piece of music. It felt at times that the audience were hypnotized !!! The rest of the evening was filled with chats and feedback from many a punter on the evenings events. All round a great show..
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DJ Rebecca Vasmant aka “Bex”
Heading back on the Saturday night, I was excited to see the DJ set from Rebecca Vasmant … With tunes that gave me goose bumps, I felt that I was on a ambient journey through the solar system. A journey of music that transcended even my imagination. Great way to get the evening under way.
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Melt Yourself Down
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A quick rush down to room 2 for a set by United Vibrations. A twist of Caribbean , African and smooth seductive guitar riffs this was a more relaxing set of sunshine music that had everyone feeling good !!! During the United Vibrations live set I managed to catch up with Ruth Goller the bassist from Melt Yourself Down whom were up next in room 1. To be honest I had no idea what to expect but was then stuck for words within a few minutes of their opening song. Bang !!!!! The place erupted. A fusion of Jazz, Punk, Funk and Avant Garde this band were rocking. The crowd loved it. The energy and power was intoxicating and I ended up filming their set from a bouncing front row. Excellent show.
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The wee hours were then polished off with the Samedia Shebeen DJ set. If you were hoping for rest after Melt Yourself Down then I was not happening here. The place was just bouncing, even Mr. DJ himself could not contain himself, trying follow him with the camera was no easy job. A great way to end a long and fantastic weekend of Live Bands and DJ”s…. Thanks to all for putting this all together.
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Reviewer : Spud
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United Vibrations
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Divine’s Friday
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When a dancer is a DJ, the opportunities to dance are not as often as one might imagine. So when the opportunity to cut a rug arises, Divines dancing feet get excited. The Dissection room at Summerhall has a perfect dance floor, smooth and perfect for pirouettes, spins and graceful moves. Chris Astrojazz, curator of “Off The Tracks” an amazingly successful event held over two nights. Took to the Decks, high above the stage that The Hidden Orchestra were setting up their instruments on. So Divine had the opportunity to let rip and with a gig as successful as this one and a dance floor more or less all to my self. This was Divine’s idea of Heaven.
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Chris Astrojazz (on the left)
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Chris Astrojazz has become a brand name for brilliance. Playing and creating amazing parties that attract a refined, cultured and attractive audience. A regular at The Kelburn Garden Party, Glastonbury, Eden and Audio Soup. With a reputation for playing warm and exotic groovy cuts, with deep Latino rhythms that at once set my dancing feet on fire. Oh Yes! The dance was on. As Mr Astrojazz’s set of world music fusion wove its magic. The dance floor of The Dissection Room morphed into the venue that would host the next of tonights Divine entertainment. The venue was crammed with people anticipating The Hidden Orchestra’s performance. This collection of musical masters first seduced Divines heart at Kaleidoscope festival back in 2010. With the same level of brilliance, tonight they had their audience eating out of the Palms of their hands. Perfectly performing lush, contemporary compositions. This was entertainment with a capital E that left Divine bursting with musical delight. By the end of the gig, Divine was hot, hot, hot and sticky. My legs ached. So I took my leave and jumped in a Taxi! Bona Night!
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Wee Al
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Wee Al’s Saturday
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Taking a break from my band, Tinky Disco, I went with Spud to the Summerhall for a funky night out. Rebecca Vasmant opened the dissection room with some atmospheric soundtracks which really set the mood for the room. She gradually brought up the tempo some ultra rare groovy Jazz beats which had the crowd movin and a groovin.
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Rebecca was swiftly followed by ‘Whilst,’ a 4 piece instrumental jazz roots band which had the crowd gazing & raving back in awe at their high energy & raw jazzy tracks, featuring pounding bass lines and some orgasmic sax solo’s. The stand out performer was the drummer who was the driving force behind the band. His raw energy and blinding talent really gave the band a raw gritty edge which really makes them stand out from the rest. A barry night oot!
Mumble Music 