Soma Rasa - a strange name and for me, a strange group to see as this
Brisbane act is a fair step outside of my preferred music style. Playing at
the Universal Playground, this was also my first foray into the Adelaide
Festival of Arts. From the fairy light draped entrance to the use of lights on the
marquees, the whole concept was very well executed, with smokers having
their own grassed seated area and an excellent range of food and wines
available in the spacious bars for those on the peckish side. The back of
the main arena walls were covered in artworks, which made the trip to the
bar all the more interesting. Big-ups to the very friendly security
as well, who from what I saw were doing an excellent job.

I was expecting a youngish crowd of after-pubbers, but instead there was an
eclectic mix of some of the funkiest people I have seen in Adelaide, from
sparkle-covered grandmothers to Diesel-wearing 20-somethings. It made me
wonder where all the cool people (especially the older crowd) went when the
Festival finishes. The 500-odd that was patiently waiting at 10.15 had soon
filed in (for a very cheap $5 a head) and were warmed up by a hilarious
hula-hoop rendition of the Dying Swan ballet number, and then by the
awesome aerial act Dislocated, who’s tight costumes of the shiniest lycra
shimmered as they spun and soared above the stage.

One of the biggest rounds of applause was given to my avatar inspiration,
Johnny, who kept us entertained in the interval with his nifty footwork to
DJ Brad (Johnny, have you been learning some new moves?)

Then Soma Rasa stepped up, and there was a run from the audience to get the
best dance spot in front of the stage. With two on drums, one on samplers
and DJ Kristian on the decks, Soma Rasa are a funky breaks live act, and it
was so good to see a live performance of the dance music genre. They
obviously love what they do, and their enthusiasm was infectious. I
particularly liked their deeper harder stuff (almost reminiscent of
Chemical Brothers), with just a few of the tracks a little bit too ‘jazzy’
and slow for me. After half a dozen or so tracks, out came their singer/mc,
MC Kina, whose audience interaction hyped the crowd just that little bit
more, especially when he brought people up to dance on stage.

If you like your interesting beats mixed in with some great scratching, then Soma Rasa
is your band. Currently touring Australia, they are promoting their new
album “On the Run’” and I for one will be buying it.