Live Review
South Rakkas Crew – The Button Factory, Dublin
The brainchild of The Arcs Of Triumph – three swashbucking young Dublin DJ-cum-sessioners-around-town – Tetric has blossomed spectacularly in the last few months due to a move to one of Dublin’s slickest venues, The Button Factory and through the patronage of promoters Pod Concerts, who’ve been feeding the midweek night with diverse international guests such as France’s Don Rimini and A1 Bassline from London.
None as diverse so far though as South Rakkas Crew. Originally from Canada, these boys are based in Orlando, Florida where they’re legendary for their open air soundsystem jams and their own rocket fuel take on dancehall ragga. Signed to Diplo’s Mad Decent label, their ragga riddims are acid-spiked with electronic riffs, seismic basslines and eerie moon station FX. Back in Florida they call it electro-ragga and they’d be dead right.
But tonight, DJ Dow Jones and his MC are intent on showing us the full spectrum of the SRC Soundsystem. Taking the stage they launch into a loud monologue celebrating the Irish capacity to drink like lunatics, before kicking into some high quality brand new bassline house. Although the bass sound is monopolised by UK and European producers like Herve and The Crookers, there’s a distinctly American feel to proceedings, with the likes of The Count Of Monte Cristal’s ‘Beeper’ and Fake Blood’s ‘Mars’ sounding more like the soundtrack to spring break than the mean streets of urban London, such is the OTT style of gonzo-rapping on top, ‘HEEY! WOOAH’ HANDS IN DA AIR!’.
Much self conscious wobbling ensued from the crowd, most of it bearing little connection with the beats roaring out of the speakers. Possibly sensing this, Dow Jones took a left into hip-hop anthems. While this re-ignited their connection with the flagging crowd, it was easily the least inventive, most predictable section of their set, as they chugged out heard-it-all-before cuts from Jay Z, Busta and M.O.P.
Their crowning glory came in the last act when they took the mood down to a soft landing of roots reggae, lovers rock and dub. While the Tetric regulars still did a double take, the sheer seductive power of pure reggae through The Button Factory’s pristine soundsystem was too much to resist and the crowd danced (very badly) as one.
Encoring with their own sunkissed reggae version of Toto’s ‘Africa’, South Rakkas Crew well and truly won over a young crowd for whom roots means a trip to the hairdressers pronto.