Live Review, Nathan Fake at Twisted Pepper

Posted on 19th Dec 08 by Contributor | 0

Artist: Nathan Fake
Author: Finbarr Watterson

It"s a rare occasion that Nathan Fake DJs and an even rarer an occasion when he plays in Ireland. The bedroom producer was first brought into the limelight when James Holden remixed his monster track The Sky Was Pink when Fake was only 21. Since then he has been recognised for his own remixes and his album Drowning in a Sea of Love which was voted second best album of 2006 in Mixmag. His eclectic style fuses music reminiscent of everything from Boards of Canada" Aphex Twin to Mogwai often at the same time producing melodic ambient techno.

Twisted Pepper is a relatively new club formerly Traffic on Abbey St" the Bodytonic crew have made it their new home and it was my first time here since the changeover. The layout of the club has changed slightly but the drinks are cheaper and the crowd warmer. Upstairs" Bill Brewster a vintage deep house DJ showcases his talent" an artist that is best known for his books on how to DJ.

Downstairs is how most basement clubs should be" dark and dingy with great sound. Eddie Brennan warmed the crowd and set the tone for what followed. Recently Fake has been keeping a low profile and it has been three years since he has played in Ireland so it was hard to know what to expect from this gig.
Its also been two years since he has released anything and I hoped he wasn"t loosing his touch.

Fake is a laptop producer and according to his website has no aspirations to be a club DJ but his live sets are nonetheless overwhelming. Armed with his midi controller and laptop" Fake appeared and made his presence felt by getting straight to business. It was comforting to hear Fake"s melodic effects and music" which has made him so unique.

His set was a little heavier than expected but the music reinstated his genius" washing away any fears I had of him loosing his touch" with such favourites including Underberg" Undoing the Laces and various tracks off his album Drowning in the Sea of Love.

The crowd loved every minute of it and why not" He played a great live set with lots of "hands in the air" moments. However there was little interaction with the crowd but it wasn"t really expected" as he isn"t a performer" he just likes to make good music. After a lively hour Eddie Brennan took over and kept the crowd on their toes until closing.

The night ended too quick for me but I left reassured that the Dublin club scene has some life left in it yet. Lets hope that Bodytonic keeps up the good work and we wont have to wait another three years to see Fake play again.