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After Dark: Balance
By Don Crispy
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Paranoid Jack
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Canadian DJs are under the spotlight in a new party at Core in Roppongi.
Over in Shibuya, on the other hand, a flashy new club has opened with
the focus on France's vibrant house scene.
Another production of the Groove Kitchen promotion team, Balance, says
head Marcellus Nealy, "will set itself apart by bringing house
music and drum'n'bass under one roof."
Headlining on the house floor will be Paranoid Jack, a Toronto-based tech-house
DJ whose debut release, Last of the Funky Cyborgs, was one of the most
memorable electronica full-lengths this listener had the pleasure of reviewing
last year.
A supple blend of four-to-the-floor techno, house, hip hop, and even rock,
the album had an anti-fascist, pro-dance, pro-marijuana theme that made
it entirely refreshing in the usually un-opinionated world of electronica.
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| Freaky Flow |
Sharing the bill with Paranoid Jack will be leading Toronto drum and
bass DJ, Freaky Flow, and his cohort, MC Flipside. The pair first appeared
at Core last year, blowing minds with Freaky Flow's athletic mix
of jungle sounds and hip hop scratch techniques.
Flow has also signed a three-record deal with Los Angeles' respected
Moonshine label, the first installment being last year's excellent
World Domination, with a second release, Keep it Live, just off the presses...
In the heart of Shibuya, meanwhile, the flashy new La Fabrique is bringing
a taste of sophisticated French 'ouse to Tokyo.
Created by the original La Fabrique in Paris, the club threw open its
doors over Golden Week, with a week of events featuring the cream of French
electronica including emerging cut and paste electro-jazz figure Rubin
Steiner and veteran house DJ D'Julz.
A sleek interior, top-notch sound system, the Paris connection, and a
serious bookings approach by manager Yves de Roquemaurel position La Fabrique
as one of Tokyo's top electronica venues, while its location (near
HMV) emphasizes Shibuya's increasingly strong claim to be the center
of gravity in Tokyo's club world.
Upcoming events include a visit by the resident DJ of La Fabrique in Paris,
DJ Sweet Flavor, who will be behind the decks on June 2-3, 16-17, 25 and
29-30, and a visit by Belgian DJ Morpheus on June 23, while local French
expat spinner, DJ Alex, will be hosting Tom & Joyce from France on
June 27.
Balance@Core, 6/8, 10pm, ¥3,500.
Tel: 3470-5944.
La Fabrique: B1F Zero-Gate, 16-9 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo. Tel: 5428-5100.
credit: Groove Kitchen
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