NYC (NRahav@ixl.com)
Fri, 28 May 1999 10:29:25 -0400
I had the chance to see UFO in tokyo also, one New Years Eve 2 or 3 years
ago. That was the best party I have ever been to. The amalgamation of sounds
you describe below was present at my show too. I dont think it's something
new for them, but I'm sure they've become even better at it by now. Most
notable was their seamless mixes of samba with house with drum & bass with
60's spy-jazz. That was the only show I ever saw where the DJ's rocked
straight ahead jazz and had the crowd going wild. Their sense of buildup &
escalation is incredible. Right when the clock hit 12 they dropped Airto
Moreira's Celebration Suite, which has since become for me the ONLY song
that should be played when the ball drops.
In a separate room there was another cat who was playing the ILLEST
downtempo rare funk & moog music that I have EVER heard.
In addition to the fat beats their visuals were also great. They had a stage
with three panels on it, each one a different color. Behind the screens they
had beautiful women dancing, whose silhouettes projected onto the colored
panels in an amazing way. Once in a while the UFO DJ's, who were all decked
out in 60's spy suits, would get behind there and dance with one of the
women, but they were dancing swing-style with turns & spins & stuff.
Then they had a video projection where they were showing retro images mixed
with hillarious cartoons, lots of beatnik themed images & animations.
It's funny what you said about the dancing crowd in Tokyo. The UFO show was
the only one where I didnt notice that happening. Every other party I went
to (including Juan Atkins at Yellow), all the people danced facing one
direction, towards the DJ, and not with each other. It's really kind of
bizarre, the difference between our American Ultra Individualism, where
people dance on their own and try to be unique and dont dance with each
other, vs. Japanese non-individualism where people dance the same way,
facing the same direction, vs. Latin America's Romantic Togetherism, where
people only dance in couples....
If you EVER get a chance to see UFO live, do so by any means.
.·´¯`·.¸¸.N·a·t.¸
-----Original Message-----
From: Gen Kanai [mailto:gkanai@earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 1999 9:17 AM
To: acid-jazz@ucsd.edu
Subject: Review: UFO at Liquid Room (Tokyo)
AJers,
I had the opportunity to check out UFO (United Future Organization) in
their hometown with their hometown crowd at the record release party for
their new full-length "Bon Voyage." What a crowd! My god, Liquid is a
pretty large venue compared to what I know in Los Angeles and the place was
packed, wall-to-wall with people grooving.
I didn't buy the new album because I know I'll get it cheaper here when it
comes out domestic but from what they spun, it sounds like an eclectic mix.
I have no idea if what they spun comes close to what the album is like
(most likely not) but I heard samba, salsa, Fela-ish stuff, techno, house,
d'n'b, and acid-jazzy stuff too. It was really like taking a trip around
the world to dance music. I think UFO is definetly expanding their sound
to encompass some of the newer trends. Not sure how I feel about it but
I'm pretty sure what they spin live is a lot more dance-y/house-y than what
the album will be like.
My friend, who's not into the scene per se, commented that he thought it
was funny that the Tokyo crowd was all dancing towards the DJs even though
all they were doing were spinning records. I guess in Tokyo, UFO has
reached a certain level of stardom that the crowd wants to check them out
even if they're just spinning records.
We got in free because a friend of a friend's company was recording the
event for a webcast. As soon as I find out more about when that's
available, I'll be sure to let you all know.
Gen, who is back from Tokyo and who caught a cold and is sick in bed on
antibiotics...yuck!
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