Basic House is an odd name for a man who delivered anything but at his Mutek show. Multi-layered techno rhythms, punctuated by sudden chasms of serene ambience, were on the menu for the evening. Strange beats and off-kilter weirdness were constructed on the fly, as Basic House, aka Stephen Bishop, seemed to do whatever the hell he wanted throughout his set.
Considering Bishop's position as label boss of Opal Tapes — a UK imprint that runs limited copies of cassette releases and certainly one of the more interesting labels to have emerged in the last few years — a certain amount of eccentricity was to be expected. Though, while his performance was occasionally intriguing, it was difficult to get into.
Because his set was improvised, the crowd were granted a glimpse into the creative mind of an industry innovator, but it also made for a musical experience that was hard to grasp at times.
Considering Bishop's position as label boss of Opal Tapes — a UK imprint that runs limited copies of cassette releases and certainly one of the more interesting labels to have emerged in the last few years — a certain amount of eccentricity was to be expected. Though, while his performance was occasionally intriguing, it was difficult to get into.
Because his set was improvised, the crowd were granted a glimpse into the creative mind of an industry innovator, but it also made for a musical experience that was hard to grasp at times.
