soul II soul & norman jay mbe live at the hackney empire, london sat july 24th, 2004

Norman Jay MBE - The DJ's DJ

It was with great faith and anticipation that I ventured to the Hackney Empire ticket-less on Saturday night for the sold out Soul II Soul Sound System live with Norman Jay MBE – as part of Channel 4’s Summer Sessions to celebrate the UK vs West Indies Cricket series. I quickly sorted myself a ticket from one of the many scalpers and entered the Hackney, which had been transformed into a lush party venue. One got the sense we had gone a little upmarket from the infamous 80’s warehouse days – surrounded this time by a velvety opulence, given a tropical feel by the profusion of palms and greenery on the stage.

Norman Jay’s set was very cool, actually on the warmer side of cool - soulful and irreverent. He delivered definitive dance soul and funk from a collection informed by a history delving into classic vinyl and a deep knowledge of the genres, an expertise that has earned him the status as the DJ’s DJ. His sensibilities spinning from the classics to the freshest sounds of the present, seamlessly seguing between Chaka Khan and Stevie Wonder to Shapeshifter. Okay so his forays into cheesy house are always suspect but thankfully brief. A great warm up set that got the party started right.

soul II soul

Jazzy B’s set was a ripper, building up from Jay’s base– undulating the energies between Deelite and James Brown, featuring such like the darker side of Missy Elliot, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, Kelis, Fatman Scoop and an eclectic collection that hit the nail on the head – digging deep into the vaults for the “rare groove and solid gold funk’ promised on the promos. If you want the full music review of the release “Soul II Soul at The Africa Centre” go to our reviews section for a better idea of the playlist. His choice of MCs and divas was spot on, but he could really do without the funky electronic clarinettist, I’m sorry.

Despite a quality set, the collective’s live renditions left me feeling a little empty and were a low point for me. They lacked the fresh conviction they had in the 90’s – well they are all a lot older now I guess. And as JB pointed out, they have been hammering it for 20 years. His mantra “be selective, be objective, be an asset to the collective…” wasn’t really delivered with any passion. I didn’t believe him anymore – maybe I am a little older too, but the message is still relevant surely?

The closer Keep On Moving kind of redeemed them but had the energy level they should have kept up throughout the show. It is always annoying when acts pull out all the stops on the last song of the night, hype everyone up into a frenzy then leave the stage!
Anyway “its all about the love” as they say and along with the right groove, is all you need to “ride the riddim”! Cristina Dio

www.soul2soul.com
www.normanjay.com