Mr C // Audio

Richard West AKA Mr C, AKA The Shamen front man, AKA Co owner of The End Nightclub & Pre-Bar.

I had been keen to see him play since his performance last year at his legendary club night ‘Superfreeq’ at DC10. Finally I had found his name plastered up on the Brighton shop windows in the cobbled streets of the lanes – Hazaa! This man has managed to bring talent to the table, in many forms. He’s responsible for pioneering a new genre of experimental house music, fusing break beat, acid & electronica – more commonly known as ‘Tech house’. On a more commercial tip, Mr C was the vocalist in the group, The Shamen, who spawned several cross-genre tunes, such as the old rave classic “Ebenezer Goode” (wink wink).

This locked in mind, I decided it best to hold back from confronting the busy bustle and hustle surrounding the entrance to Audio (home of pulse-pushing club night, Stompa Phunk) and kick it in some of the many bars that Brighton has to offer. Sadly, being a non-regular to the Brighton bar scene, it was a true trial-and-error game that my friend Henri and I played. First entering what looked like a time-warp to the 60’s… and we were greeted with the disco classic – “Burn Baby Burn”. The DJ must have had a sense of humour, as the air conditioning was non-existent: it caused the windows to steam up and several middle-aged ‘chicks’ passed out. Bummer! I realised that perhaps we had made a mistake in our choice of bar, so we moved on. Luckily, we found a spot a pace or two further down that contained a rather more substantial atmosphere, suitable for two lads in need of a beer and a chat about the night ahead!

Two hours fell off the clock and we left the bar fashionably late at half past 12. “Perfect,” I thought. We proceeded to roll to the club. To my shock, there was no queue and not even a bustle of people! Still, I considered this a good sign, as we probably missed the crowd and would not have to wait. In we rolled, greeted by not a breathtaking amount of people, but yet a breathtaking amount of volume – “good enough for me” I sneered! It would appear I was late, and yet, on time: over at the box I saw the Cockney rebel, Mr C, cueing up his first vinyl. We headed over. A roar of cheers came from the crowd as the beat broke the silence. Starting out very melodic but with a persistent jacking 4×4 beat and a rolling baseline, the groove engulfed all clubbers great & small. The beat persisted and yet suddenly got more familiar as a vocal hit “Do It Again” – Chemical Brothers! Another cheer rang out through the club and yet when I looked to the box, I saw the dry look on Mr C’s face. It’s an image that’s not really changed from his first appearance. To hazard a guess, I would have sworn the smoking ban was affecting his mood, but that was assuming he smokes of course! I then took a moment to look about and see who surrounded me. It was then that I spotted a well-defined character standing by the bar, sporting a set of tight black jeans, tight white shirt and black braces. It was the curly black hair that confirmed my suspicions — it was Marc Ashken, recently signed artist of Leftroom Records, owner of record label Lather Rinse Repeat and purveyor of alternate minimal music matter. I headed over to speak with him. We talked about the after party he was playing over at the Funky Buddha Lounge. A quick confirmation of his set time, then we head over to the box for more Mr C and idle chit-chat.

Beats continued to roll, getting heavier and more distinctive by baseline. At this point fellow Fusion cat Marek brought over a bottle of wine and gestured it my way. I took it and poured out two glasses, which seemed to disappear surprisingly quickly. This confirmed my suspicion of my own intoxication. My tolerance lowered, I started to bop! Mr C was in full-flight, yet the crowd had diminished somewhat, leaving a sieved-out posse of Eberneezer’s and twisted geezers. I felt the atmosphere switch up, with the music, much darker, much deeper. I checked my watch and noticed it was past closing (3.10am)… and yet he continued to play, bringing back a more attachable rhythm, landing us with Damien Schwartz’s ”RYF 4” as an encore. Mr C then jumped off and was taken over by one of the residents, who kept it kicking ‘til kick out.

The overall vibe of the party was good. However, I had the feeling that Mr C was uncomfortable for one reason or another. He didn’t give people what I had witnessed and considered his maximum potential at his own night. None the less, the party had not been affected, and I was left feeling satisfied. Another dope choice in artist by the Stompa Phunk team — keep ‘em coming!

Photography by Eliot Gill. Do you need a photographer for your event? Please contact 07804259916 or email mrichter@brightonfusion.co.uk

Audio
http://www.audiobrighton.com

10 Marine Parade
Brighton
East Sussex
Tel: 01273-624343

info@audiobrighton.com

Words: Firno

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