Last Sunday evening we were nestled into a basement in Manchester’s Northern Quarter for a showcase of new music from ELAETE.
The collective and soon-to-be label are comprised of vocalist Sarah Zad, emcees Ill Chill and Jobe Wolf and Manchester-based producer FREnchfire – a name you might be familiar with from his TNG mix and our reviews of the ‘Generic Greeting #3’ compilation and his more recent track ‘Make Me Feel’, co-produced with fellow ambient dub head Bruised Skies. Hailing from London, LA and Manchester respectively, the group had come together especially for the show and we were excited to see what the night had in store.
Once on stage they delivered a tight performance with live vocals backed by original productions from FREnchfire. Packing a punch capable of dominating a much bigger dance floor than the one on hand this particular night, the effect of the group’s club-orientated sound in such an intimate space could have jarred but it didn’t; the music was on point and the vibe was so relaxed and friendly that at times it felt more like a jam session than a performance per-say.
As FREnchfire span his own brand of mesmeric and cinematic bass music; Sarah, Ill Chill and Jobe displayed a harmonious command of rhythm and flow as they each took turns on the mic. Sarah’s delicate yet sultry voice cut through propulsive beats and bass with a combination of ethereal melodics and heart-wringing lyricism, whilst Jobe delivered slices of witty repartee alongside more contemplative bars. Most memorable still was Ill Chill, whose smooth LA tones cut through the room and captivated us with cerebral lyrics and a tight yet seemingly effortless delivery.
Over too soon, as we traipsed out into the unusually warm Manchester night to smoke and say good night it seemed that nearly everyone had spent the whole weekend partying and was suffering from Sunday exhaustion. Still, an evening of great new music from artists who are experimenting with some very fresh sounds.
Get involved: check FREnchfire’s TNG mix below and keep up with them on Facebook or follow Sarah, FREnchfire and Ill Chill individually on SoundCloud.
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