I still remember is so clearly like it was last weekend. It was just after 4am and I had just witnessed the Scratch Perverts for the first time in what was two hours of insane hip-hop and drum’n’bass turntablism. As the lights faded on the main stage a large portion of the 1000+ crowd hurriedly exited to explore another stage of the event, or even took the softer option of going home. A strong few remained however, some by choice, some just didn’t get out quick enough before the onslaught began. The dancefloor was full, which was the only place you needed to be on such an occasion, as Gervase Cooke (better known to many as the BLIM) took control of the music from a separate DJ box away from the main stage and closer to the dancefloor. For the next two hours he cast his spell of relentless bass driven breakbeats, seemingly not losing a single person from the dancefloor he held captive. In the end the only thing that could bring halt to proceedings being a sound technician repeatedly putting his hand to his throat in a “cut” gesture and venue staff opening the doors and letting the morning daylight flood in. Until the middle of this year this had been my mental association with the name BLIM.
Nearing the end of my phone time with Cooke and I make comment on how I’m looking forward to seeing him again after his last performance in my home city of Perth. Suddenly the conversation turns back to that night 18 months ago. After answering “yes” to him asking as to whether I had been the one to write the review of the night (yes it is extremely flattering when an artist you admires remembers your work) he explains how the night in question meant so much to him. “That night was quite a major deal for me. I was a bit of an unknown quantity and was at the end of a really long tour and fucking knackered when I landed in Perth. I arrived about midnight and was playing later that night, I was shagged. I went and slept for a couple of hours, got up and went down to the club and thought “oh shit I’m playing after the Scratch Perverts”. Everyone was staring at them across the room on the stage. I was dragging my soul out of the bottom of my fucking shoe and managed to get a couple of drinks and then they told me I had to play in that fucking booth. I thought everyone’s just going to listen to the Scratch Perverts and just fuck off. Somehow I turned things around completely in my head and with the crowd and had one of the most memorable gigs I’ve had because of how shit I felt before hand and how excellent it was. The review was the only opportunity I had to realise it was the same for somebody else as I didn’t actually get the chance to speak to anybody on the night so the review compounded and confirmed that for me.”
Fans of BLIM may well associate him with different sounds depending on when they cottoned on to his music. Starting off as a drum’n’bass producer (a genre for which he made a number of releases but feels didn’t have any real impact on) his changing head space has seen him move on to become one of the most reputable producers in the breaks genre today. With his earlier work being significantly harder and darker, I’m curious as to how his DJing style has changed since that night 18 months ago where it was that perfect mix between hard and driving beats yet full of funk and fun. “That was the beginning of a slightly newer style that people still don’t recognise me for. I still go back to places and people expect me to play a lot harder and a lot gnarlier and kind of dark but I haven’t been playing like that for a good two or three years. I still do a bit towards the end of my set. Essentially I start off really groove based and make sure people are boogeying before I do anything with them. It’s all about the dance and the party – FUN! That was sort of the embryonic stages of where I’m at now. That night helped to give me massive confidence in what I did for months afterwards. It took an open crowd to a certain extent because a lot of people could literally have just walked after the Scratch Perverts. And a lot of people didn’t walk out and of those people not many left during the set. It was a big night for me.”
A few months ago I had the pleasure of opening up my mail to find BLIM’s debut artist album Lost in Music there for me to review. An album I still love listening to and that has become my new mental association for BLIM. Despite the variation most tracks from the album could definitely fit into a set at some stage of the night so I’m curious if he’s prone to playing a lot of his own music. “Definitely, the reason for that is because I make music to make people dance in my set. I sit in my studio and make music until it makes me get up and dance. When I’ve got up and danced I know it’s something I’ll be able to play to people and they’ll dance to.”
Whether you’re familiar with the name BLIM or not if you’ve been to any breaks gigs this year chances are you’ve heard his storming collaboration with Rennie Pilgrem Two Freaks. Living close to and having frequent contact with a bunch of like minded musicians in London means the opportunity for such collaborations are always available, something which BLIM is always open to. “It’s a bit of cross pollonation. The good things I like about working with other people are that it’s quick and you get stuff done, you get to the result, you get to the groove, the point of result where you know you’ve got a tune, a lot more quickly. Because there’s two people involved you’ve got two peoples taste into it. That makes it a lot more accessible by a product of numbers. It allows each of the two people to do things that they wouldn’t necessarily do on their own. I know that’s true for me”
BLIM arrives in the country this month for an extended two month stay of shows around Australia. After a year which has been full of highs he admits he just needs a break. “I’ve had an amazing year in this country but for one reason or another I have very few ties here now and I’ve never really done a good chunk of fucking off so I’m just gonna fuck off and get paid to do it and be somewhere really nice while it’s shitty and cold in my own country (UK). I’m going to go back around Asia when I finish Australia because it was really good fun there last time and I might as well break up the journey home.”
To catch BLIM’s infectious mix of boogeying beats on a dancefloor near you check him out over the next two months at any of these gigs:
Mon 3.11 – Melbourne – Fractured @ Seven Nightclub
Fri 14.11 – Adelaide – Traffic
Sat 15.11 – Perth – Ambar
Sat 29.11 Brisbane – Adventjah Festival RNA Showgrounds
Sat 20.12 – Byron Bay – Great Northern
Sat 27.12 – Townsville – The Embassy
Wed 31.12 – Cairns – The Playpen
Thur 1.1.04 Sydney – Sounds on New Year’s Day
But that’s never going to be enough so make sure you check out his album Lost in Music at any good music retailer. It’s available locally through TCR/Inertia. For ITM’s review click HERE.
