Goldie and MC Lowqui @ The Ministry - Reviewed
Goldie and MC Lowqui ripped the house down on the 3rd of September at the Ministry...
10 Sep 2005
Goldie and MC Lowqui
Saturday 3 September 2005 @ The Ministry, Christchurch
A clear cold Christchurch night, perfect for a big DnB night out at the Ministry. Drum n Bass legend Goldie due to play anytime soon. Urban Notion crew ripping things up for the massive, laying the groundwork for the man with the teeth of gold.
A ripple moves through the crowd, they have spotted something going on up at the front. Two figures with huge afros and aviator sunglasses are making their way in to the booth. One steps up, to the decks, the other takes the mic. "Somebody put your hands up in to the air!", "We're here to put the funk, the soul glow back in to Drum n Bass!". The crowd screams, the costumes come off, the night begins....
Goldie's set is a tight, diverse affair. Plenty of the Metalheadz grime, the epic build-ups and breakdowns and incredible breaks that have characterised Metaheadz over the last ten years. But also a much deeper more soulful element that had not been present in Goldie's past visits. MC Lowqui's magnificent lyrical flow holding it all together, perfectly complementing the skills of the selector.
Not far in and it becomes clear that this is not your normal Goldie set: from the look of pure enjoyment on the gold-one's face, the total immersion of the crowd within the music and the constant complementing of the soundsystem by Lowqui, something special is going on.
The standard two hours pass quickly, but there is no stopping. Nobody wants this to end, immersed in the sublime. And then it is as if we are being transported back in time, Goldie pulling out tunes that he has not played for years, Loqwui grabs me: "man, I have never seen G get this deep before!".
Four hours in to his set and all is explained, Goldie grabbing the mic: "Can you tell I'm loving this?". Then Lowqui: "Oh my Days, you know what? This is hands-down the best club that I have ever witnessed, right, seriously, Christchurch New Zealand you guys are crazy". Back to Goldie: "You are the best, got the best scene, best club, best sound, what else do you want? Do you know what? I can only play certain tunes on YOUR soundsystem, I never play them at home 'cos I can't play them there... I can only play them here 'cos the soundsystem is so fucking SICK!"
One highlight of the night has to be the three new Concord Dawn dubs, all of which receive the rewind treatment. My pick has to be the track featuring Devon Abrams of Shapeshifter and Pacific Heights, with its menacing yet emotional pads and sax licks, dropping in to the most teched-out beats I have ever experienced.
Goldie finishes the night by tearing out his classic "Inner City Life", hanging from the caging which surrounds the booth in the ministry, and generally jumping around like a maniac while the amped-up 6.30am crowd does the same, vibing off his energy.
All up, this has to be one of my favourite DnB experiences ever. The crowd loved every minute, and so too did the performers. I was impressed by the vocal skills of the MC Lowqui, while Goldie kept it tight for the crowd. The NZ contingent benefited too, Goldie was so impressed with the local Urban Notion crew set that he invited them to perform with him in Sydney for the last night of his world-tour. All I can say is, watch out for the next time Goldie is in your area! And take cover!
Sites to check out:
http://www.metalheadz.co.uk
http://www.lowqui.com
http://www.urbannotion.co.nz
