It’s hard for me not to get tangled up in a mess of mixed metaphors when explaining why you should have at least heard of Kruder & Dorfmeister in your sonic travails, if not one of their blunted treatments of such luminaries like Lamb, Bomb the Bass or Roni Size; or even their solo projects as Tosca & Peace Orchestra on the G-Stone label. If this is not the case, chances are you’re not getting nearly enough dub in your musical diet, and the duo’s sought-after mix CDs for DJ-Kicks & Studio !K-7 may be just what the good doctor ordered!

It was on these laurels that news of their touring this side of the hemisphere was celebrated nation-wide. Certainly it was enough to tempt out some of the more wizened & distantly-remembered faces of the Brisbane Electronic Community to swell the attendance at the Arena on a recent Saturday night. And very likely, a lot of those same faces left in the morning somewhat dissatisfied with the evening’s seemingly uncharacteristic sonic selection. Conversely, those initiates for whom this event was an introduction could easily be forgiven for wondering what the fuss was about.

After some appropriately somber & spartan echoes provided by Ravi, the pair appeared on stage shortly past 11 to the appreciative cheers of the crowd. The opening tracks fell well within the established K&D formula, the lights went down & not without small irony, the dancefloor crammed. While none of the animosity suggested elsewhere was evident, Peter Kruder soon retired to the shadows & left Richard Dorfmeister to prevail for the next two hours. This was to emerge nominally as a funky house set, not dissimilar neither overly distinguishable to others heard any week in Brisbane venues. Personal highlights include rearrangements of classics by Chic & the Clash, and the welcome albeit occasional foray into latin or ragga rhythms; sadly the latter was rear-ended by Real 2 Reel’s (I like to) Move It and I was forced to relive the horror of school discos past! Not that this seemed to bother the masses, whose ranks thinned little as the early hours advanced.

The proceedings were fronted all the while not by the Rastafari Dancehall DJ I was expecting, but a rounding white guy who looks like he’s clocked a few hours on the back of Harley in his time. MC Sugar B’s Austrian accent often proved as unintelligible as Jamaican toasting, though his style was not unpleasant & his use of an effects unit thoughtful; his indomitable stage presence was confirmed by successfully inviting a succession of Ladeeez from the crowd onstage for a wiggle, jiggle or grind throughout the entire morning- not to mention a proportionate level of chagrin expressed in many corners at his antics. It appears universally agreed that this was not the desired visual accompaniment to the G-Stone experience…..

Some of the venting spleens would surely have been soothed by the stage-width, wraparound video backdrops crafted by Fritz Fritzke. I was apprised of his animated decoupage from rave reviews at the Exodus festival in Byron earlier this year, and I have to admit that I’m hard-pressed to recall its equal in my total experience in this part of the world. Every segueing image begged for photography, and I sincerely hope that we see more of this quality on display again in the months & years to come.



Meanwhile, in the Breaks room Laidback seemed unable to live up to either his name, or old-school reputation from releases on the Bolshi label. Anyone seeking the “turntable athletics, rhythmic electro & funky disco breaks” promised on the flyer would have been bitterly disappointed- unless it was referring to mixing more “next-level” breaks with the painfully ubiquitous Donna Kebab belting out at +8! While I will credit him with airing releases I’d be unable to ID, they certainly weren’t fresh or unique by any standard, and whatever effect they might have had on this jaded soul was negated by following the ridiculous tempo set by the terrible trio of Aniki, Brazen & Shredlock. Lately in these situations I’ve taken to paraphrasing a common expression….. SBDD: Same Breaks, Different DJ.

Thankfully Herr Kruder chose this point to make his return, and judging the audience sufficiently sated by Dr. Richie to make it risk-effective to stray with increasing frequency from house, played a more eclectic set featuring spatters of dubby 2-Step, Drum & Bass and even some Techno, closing with the tempo careening off the steady incline and dropping into cavernous Trip-Hop.

I decided in the end that while I did enjoy the event, I couldn’t help but feel a bit underwhelmed; my expectations had been unfulfilled, and in that regard I’m sure that I’m not alone. There have been Friday nights & Saturday afternoons in West End venues with a greater demonstration of selektah spirit, and equal vibe at a fraction of the attendance. And cost of entry, for that matter…..