Kode9

SAT, Montreal QC June 1

BY Vincent PollardPublished Jun 2, 2012

From the first second, Kode9 (aka Hyperdub label boss Steve Goodman) began dropping heavy tracks, segueing into some soulful house classics, then acid and few grime/UK hip-hop offerings, retaining a UK flavour throughout. Becoming bassier and bassier as he went on, the sound reverberating around the space like a warehouse rave. The bulk of the MUTEK crowd were at Metropolis to watch Nicolas Jaar, but the party was definitely here. Part way through, Goodman brought some samba beats into the mix, giving a real carnival feel, and it just got sweatier from there. The set built into another samba drum breakdown then a gear change, as he dropped the UK garage remix of "You Don't Know" by the smooth TLC-esque R&B group 702, going into a mash-up of U.S. hip-hop before the classic "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by Funkadelic and Africa Hitech's "Out in the Streets," finishing off with some old-school jungle and ending with "Strings of Life." A great set that also acted like a potted history of UK bass, from 2 step, UK garage and dubstep, Kode9's set was educational and ridiculously fun.

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