Audiotart

DJ Premier and Sway
Matter, London
Tuesday 28 October 2008

Review by Danielle Williams

As hip-hop household names go, DJ Premier is up there with the best of them (despite being hidden behind mixing desks or in studios for much of the time) and it was pretty clear from the outset who the be-hooded crowd, lounging around the dark corners of Matter, were there to see. London MC, Sway, has also become something of a household name in his own right… okay, so maybe only in households with a particular interest in grimy UK lyricists. These two Hip Hop giants from both sides of the pond promised to deliver a night of cutting baselines and even sharper lyrics, and the brooding crowd were not disappointed.

The venue itself is deeply buried in the O2 Arena, and boasts some of the tightest security this side of Guantanamo Bay. Thankfully, door staff were at least friendly whilst they busied themselves with opening up every single pot and tube in my make-up bag. When they were finally satisfied that there were no machetes hidden amongst my cosmetics, we made our way into the smoky depths.

Matter is pretty impressive; grimy but clean, spacious but cozy… generally an ideal space to wind and grind in. With the bodysonic dancefloor beneath your feet, transmitting the bass into your very bones, there’s little chance of the crowd “not feelin’ it”.

When Sway finally strode out, it seemed he was fairly underwhelmed by his somewhat lacklustre reception, and so he immediately began his very best audience interaction routine to win us over. The expectant crowd were invited to ‘show him love’ by raising their hands to declare their allegiance to either UK or American Hip Hop; old or new skool; traditional or grimy. What began as a way of gauging the vibe, ended up feeling more like school, and the crowd, whilst mildly moved by Sway’s efforts to get them bouncing to his own unique brand of two step, were largely unresponsive.

Sway is truly a great MC, and is a pioneer of some of the heaviest British Hip Hop; however he did not quite deal with the matter… at Matter. His set included a selection of tracks (including the double-tastic, ‘Say It Twice’ and new track, ‘Taxi’) that showed off his talent and diversity, but unfortunately was a little too disorganised to whip up the kind of frenzy he was clearly hoping for.

Overall, it was an entertaining warm-up, but more because of Sway’s steady patter of jokes and lyrics, than because of a slick flow of beats and bass.

With barely time for a refill, DJ Premier was on the stage, looking and sounding every bit the big-time hip hop superstar, whilst lapping up the uproarious shouts and whoops. The crowd, now fully on-board, reacted with noisy bouncing when the familiar bassline of Nas’ Represent vibrated around the dance floor. As an industry veteran, and one half of legendary duo, Gangstarr (along with Guru) Premier knows how to work a crowd… and the weed-smoking, cap-wearing, hoodie crew at Matter were no exception.

The set was liberally peppered with old skool crowd-pleasers and samples that showed off his considerable and impressive back history of collaborations. But of course, Premier is more than just a DJ, his musical arsenal also includes a mind-boggling array of mixing and scratching weaponry.

I knew that DJ Premier was a clever producer and deck-jockey, but as he beat-juggled and scratched his way through the set, I couldn’t help but be impressed. Not least as he managed to do the whole thing without changing the record once. Magic? No… time-recorded vinyl from a laptop (apparently).

To finish the set, Blaq Poet came on to keep him company and throw some lyrics into the mix. I’m sure that this would have been an excellent accompaniment, if only the booming bass hadn’t drowned out said lyrics, leaving the crowd to draw their own conclusions on the content.

I had discussed with my friends the possibility of having to sneak out just before the end, so as to catch the tube and miss the rush, but as it turned out, they closed the night at 11:30. With the military level security and early doors closing time, they were certainly taking no chances at Matter.

Generally, the night was a triumph for the venue, the artists and clubbers alike, and everyone left at a sensible hour, satisfied that they had been entertained very nicely. It could be said that the heavy duty security, the Tuesday night slot and spanking newness of the club diminished the atmosphere slightly, but the night did what it said on the tin, and we bounced and flexed all the way home.

Related links:
Sway concert tickets.
DJ Premier concert tickets.
DJ Premier on MySpace.
Sway on MySpace.