Posts Tagged ‘2 many djs’
2 Many Djs, Live Review
So, a few week’s ago we went to pull some shapes to Belgium’s finest tuxedo wearing DJs 2 Many Djs. For the unfamiliar amongst you, check out my lowdown on the chaps here. My live review is quite heavy on the youtube video’s but such was the nature of their set up I didn’t think I could do them justice without these! (PS, thanks to the users who posted these videos!)
image from Brixton academy show on the tour
So, we packed our bags, ticked off our checklist (tickets – check, dancing shoes – check) and Clio-ed our way across the pennines where 2 Many Djs were playing The Manchester Academy (Saturday 6th June 2009). On the way, we passed signs for the Oasis ’supergig’ which was taking part at Heaton Park in the city the same night, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the 70′000 poor buggers who were going to be stuck there instead of the 2 Many Djs gig!
The support on the night came in the form of JDH & Dave P, Zombie Nation (of kernkraft 400 fame), and Riton. We arrived part way through Zombie Nation’s set and he was warming the already large crowd up nicely for the main event. Riton too was laying down some nice beats to get the crowd going but to be honest, we were using this time to top up our alcohol levels before the brothers from Belgium hit the decks. And so it came time for 2 Many Djs to enter the fray, and they did so dressed in tuxedos which left me wondering if they got them dry-cleaned after every show?
I had heard beforehand that this tour was to include a brand new visual aspect from the guys, and that came in the form of a big screen directly behind them which was displaying animations based on the original art works of the tracks they were sampling. This vj-ing was a great addition to the their live performance, the simplistic yet clever use of artwork mashup complimenting the tracks the guys were spinning.
2 Many Djs, Not Enough Time
The other Saturday (6 June 2009) we trotted across to the red side of the pennines to catch the multi-talented, multi-aliased 2 many Djs (or is it soulwax?) at the Manchester Academy. After the customary wrong turn finding the hotel, and the vastly overpriced taxi to the venue (damn you 6-seaters!) we had a brilliant night.
First, for those of you who need to catch up, a little background, concentrate because it get’s a bit messy!
(To skip the background and go straight to the gig review get your click on here.
2 Many Djs are made up of Belgian brothers David and Stephen Dewaele who first found international fame as part of Soulwax, their full on alternative electro-rock band who have album releases spanning back to the mid 90s. Soulwax releases “Leave The Story Untold” (1996) and “Much Against Everyone’s Advice” (1998) was followed by 2002’s first release under the 2 Many Djs guise, “As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 2.”
“As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 2.” is a fully licensed mash-up album whose tracklisting can be found here. A lot of 2 Many Djs remixes failed to make the album due to problems obtaining the rights to the original tracks, but many of these have cropped up on the unofficial releases (As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 1 and Pt. 3-11) which are in fact, bootlegged radio shows they have performed for various stations throughout their time. There was also a bootlegged recording of a mix for BBC Radio 1 in 2005 released under the moniker “50′000′000 Soulwax Fans Can’t Be Wrong.”
Ok, so, after 3 more official Soulwax releases, “Any Minute Now” (2004), “Nite Versions” (2005) and “Most of the Remixes . . .” (2007), there followed a documentary release “Part Of The Weekend Never Dies.” Of course, in between these were the countless number of remixes, radio stand-ins and live shows they performed all around the world, and with that, we should be just about up to speed, well, sort of.
And so, to the present (which will be the past when you read this!) and the June 2009 tour of the UK. We caught them at the Manchester Academy on Saturday 6th June 2009, click here for the review.
Also a word on their immediate future, they have said they plan to release 24 new compilation albums which will be put out their via their own online radio station called, strangely enough, Radio Soulwax. At the time of post this has yet to go live but I have heard on the forums over at soulwax.info that it is expected to launch this month.
Ok, peace out, i’ll leave you with the soulwax edit of MGMT’s Kids. Remember, check out my gig review for these guys here!
MGMT – Kids (Soulwax Edit)
