Experimental Electronica At a Bicycle Workshop

Cycling and experimental electronic music aren’t two things normally put together…with the obvious exception of Kraftwerk. Whatever the case, we were excited at the prospect of witnessing these two fringes of unrelated culture colliding in art.

Nottingham Bikeworks, the venue for the evening, was housing what geared up to be an interesting niche of leftfield electronic stuff — a vibe usually catered to at places like The Chameleon.

When arriving, guests walk through the shop itself, a proper “hip” looking bike shop with all the usual fixings, before reaching a decent-sized open workshop space with a small PA system and lighting set up. The room was laid out pretty cosily with glasses of orange squash, bowls of mints and sweets and other elements of a party that had not been seen since your mate’s birthday at Laser Quest back in school. A feature very much welcome.

By the time the first tinny was sunk and hangover subsided, the main lights were off and some subtle coloured lighting scanned across dark corners of the room.

First act of the evening was Daphnellc-a criminally unsung creative force in the Nottingham scene. Daphnellc aka Abi has been modestly working for years on her intriguing noise/ambient/techno cassette label, ‘Larry Crywater’, which has obtained a cult following around the world.

Her opening set doesn’t bother building slowly and kicks straight into a groove of gritty techno drum tracks with obscure melodic patterns that never stand still too long. Where live electronic music can drift into synthy self-indulgence too easily, Daphnellc keeps bringing in new sounds which demand our attention and maintain interest.

She deserves to be slamming this out on a massive soundsystem.

At the end, we describe it to her as “Aphex Twin without the boring bits” and hope that she’s not insulted.

Next up was her long-time partner in crime, Giant Head, who has succeeded in having a fantastic stage name alongside an incredibly unique sound. His most recent release on Daphnellc’s label showcases his accomplishments to date in a fantastic cassette release entitled, ‘Hold it with love in your hands’.

This performance showcases a collection of warped and raw-sounding beats with a casual vocal style combining the best elements of hip-hop and spoken word in an unrecognisable form of UK rap.

The night ends with a trio called ‘Surfacing’, a Notts collective who simply claim to be, ‘filling the deadly silences’. This obscure combination of modular synths and a dramatic play about bees serves to spangle our heads a bit and at times was uncomfortable, but we assume that’s the point.

As we grab a handful of mint imperials and leave the venue [swiftly] it becomes apparent why these events are so important.

This city is bursting with amazing underground music waiting to be exposed, plenty of it is yet to be stumbled upon.

So, when you hear of a night of dance music in a bike shop [or elsewhere out of tahn] — we urge you all to go out and experience it.

You can check out Daphnellc and friends live later this month at The Chameleon, Friday 18th October, 8:00–11:00pm.