NEWS
EVENTS
Printworks Hosts the Launch of Booka Shade’s New Album – Less Sweaty Techno Rave, More Sophisticated Britpop Showcase
April 7th saw Booka Shade light up Printworks with the launch of new album, Galvany Street. The new, more Britpop-inspired material was interwoven with more familiar Booka tunes to reengage the crowd with some known and loved techno beats.
The supporting acts were not to be missed either. Kicking off proceedings was Hito, whose funky techno grooves warmed the crowd up nicely. Diving into her crate of vinyl to drop tunes such as Prefuse 73’s Uprock And Invigorate and Adriyano’s Moccassin Groove, she fitted what everyone wanted to hear so well that I admit I was disappointed when her set got cut off a few minutes early.
Rising French star Superpoze then took to the stage, shaking things up before Booka Shade’s entrance. Diving about within a 3-sided setup of synths and samplers, his swirling beats constantly built up and dropped away unexpectedly, holding the audience’s attention. Melodic piano samples were played in and layered up – this was not a DJ set, but an intense live performance from a man who will definitely be worth keeping an eye on.
Booka Shade’s new material, performed for the first time with haunting vocals from Archive singer Chris Walker, was met with considerable enthusiasm from the crowd, especially given how different it is from their previous albums. The production duo’s amazingly detailed sound was the perfect match for Printwork’s cavernous industrial setting, and everyone in the audience grooved away from the first track to the last.
Opening the set with Galvany Street’s first 4 tunes, the dark-yet-catchy New Wave/Pop feel that stays pretty consistent throughout the new album was laid out early on. However, Arno and Walter didn’t leave it too long before giving the less seasoned fans in the audience what they wanted to hear – red neon lights descended about 25 minutes into the set and the crowd was treated to the trance-like electro-house groove of In White Rooms. Also deserving of a mention is new single Babylon, which energised everyone and got the whole crowd moving even more.
An extended encore featured the oldies and goodies that everyone had been listening out for such as Body Language and Night Falls, before finishing on Ibiza classic Mandarine Girl.
Unfortunately for me, Regenerate wasn’t played – however that’s sort of beside the point… As they’ve acknowledged in an interview, Booka Shade have clearly progressed away from four-to-the-floor techno, and this gig was a sophisticated showcase of what can be expected from the duo in the future.
By Izzy Granger
