Saxophonist Russ Liquid with Gramatik (background) (photo: Blake Morneau)
My discovering of Gramatik’s music a few years ago was the perhaps the most important step in my growing relationship with electronic music. Most electronic music seems to have some foot somewhere in the world of hip-hop, but Gramatik keeps both feet on hip-hop’s warm, familiar ground. Even as he’s administering a vicious dub-step beatdown, silky smooth rap grooves are the home base. It makes for some pretty easy listening even when he’s throwing some heat. All of that combined with the live instruments he loves to bring to the show with him and Gramatik is a music-lover’s DJ that demands listening as well as furious dancing. His skills as an ultimate dance floor rocker were on fully display recently in Victoria, BC.
The night’s instrumental support was provided by the mighty Russ Liquid (saxophone, trumpet, keys) and the secret weapon of Gramatik’s Lowtemp label, Gibbz (guitar and vocals), who also provided one of the finest opening sets I’ve come across in some time. That high note he hits at the end of his Exmag collaboration, “Tilt Mode,” was sublime and elicited quite a response from the crowd. Liquid and Gibbz provided the perfect support for Gramatik as the trio ran through a career-spanning set that touched on all the finest points from one of the more consistently strong electronic catalogues around.
The capacity crowd managed to take their focus off of dancing for brief moments to voice their approval for older favourites like “The Drink Is Called Rakija” and the always fantastic “So Much for Love.” Song after song were awesome and funky as they were recognizable. Gramatik is clearly a man who loves music, as evidenced by his non-Gramatik song choices. He dropped some classics from Prince (“Kiss,” with some especially impressive work from Gibbz) and Stevie Wonder (“Superstitious,” knowingly left mostly untouched, letting the song breathe and do its own magic) and cuts from contemporaries such as Opiuo (“Quack Fat,” with equally impressive sax work from Liquid).
It was a live set that had a bit of everything. It was fun, funky, sexy, aggressive, laid back and dark. There’s something for every music lover on a Gramatik record, and evidently a Gramatik live show is no different.
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