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February 6 , 2002 - DISCUSS THIS ARTICLE


Silent Partners in the Corporation
In the world of electronic music, a majority of artists aren't called musicians - they're called producers. Many of them don't play instruments and merely assemble records by stringing together pre-recorded sounds and samples, sometimes bringing in outside talent.

Rob Garza and Eric Hilton of Thievery Corporation are no exception to this quasi-rule. They're a pair of jazz/lounge/retro enthusiasts with a good sense of rhythm and a talent for combining sounds from a multitude of sources to create an engrossing sonic tapestry, as demonstrated on their mellow album, The Mirror Conspiracy.

It wasn't without good reason that many people were expecting a low-key, relaxing show when the DC duo rolled into San Francisco's upscale Ruby Skye on a Tuesday night. Thievery Corporation's music is very downtempo, influenced largely by jazz and dub (slowish reggae, for the uninitiated). However, nobody was expecting a boring show - both SF dates and both LA dates sold out shortly after being announced - not bad for a moderately obscure act from the other coast.

As expected, Garza and Hilton didn't utter a single word. Nor did they move around much. Dressed in Italian-cut suits, Mr. Hilton deftly worked the turntables while Mr. Garza triggered drum pads and samples, suavely holding a lit cigarette for most of the show. But their show was far from static. While electronic powerhouses The Crystal Method may be known for frenetic breakbeats and energetic songs, they could take a lesson from the Corporation about how to put on a lively electronic act.

In addition to their stoic selves, the pair brought along two percussionists - one on congas and one on brush kit -and two chanteuses with honey dripping in their vocal chords - one of whom was very reminiscent of Dido in her style. Aditionally, a quiet man in shades sat cross-legged on a raised cushion, hoisting a giant sitar. If that wasn't enough to keep things interesting, a pair of ragga MCs made their way onto stage to inject some serious energy into the set. In fact, energy is an understatement - they elevated what would have been a very low-key evening into - yes - a severe sonic ass-kicking. As the show wore on, the sounds became more complex, the bass more pounding, the voices more in tune with the crowd - an obvious progression occuring over their hour and a half on stage - building to a crescendo that one would never expect this act to reach after having listened to all their releases.

Gearhead Roundup
A typical electronica cliché is - due to the often undynamic nature of the performances - imagery projected onto a screen behind the act. In that respect, Thievery Corp. followed convention with a giant screen behind them. However, the projections were far from typical. Reflecting their eclectic influences in the music itself, they decided to forgo they usual psychedelia and presented a spliced-together mosaic of multiethnic images from around the world. Visuals ranged from recognizable clips from Chow Yun Fat movies and 2001: A Space Odyssey to obscure footage of Japanese jazz lounges, buddhist monks, and Rastafarians.The film selections and editing matched the pace and feel of the performance remarkably well, and the projection was crystal clear. The digital projector in use was enough to make any technophile drool.

As for other toys, Hilton put forth pre-recorded strings, bass, and brass on a set of Technics 1200 decks (par for the course) and what appeared to be a Rane mixer (also fairly standard). Garza was more animated with his gear, playing primary drums "live" on the finger pads of a heavy-duty drum machine, triggering samples from a small Roland sampler, and tweaking out sounds with the über-cool Korg KAOSS Pad - a device not unlike a laptop's trackpad, allowing the performer to access a multitude of effects simply by dragging a finger around the unit. That lit cigarette didn't seem to slow him down one bit.

A crowd as diverse as the City itself
There were more than a handful of people in the line outside with reservations about the show being played at Ruby Skye. Known as a posh nightclub, the venue is often derided for its often overdressed "bridge and tunnel" crowd, inflated drink prices, rude staff, and gawdy decor. Some fans had expressed a fear of too many "suits" being present for the show, and truth be told, there were many "Marina" types. (Do a little research on the web about San Francisco lifestyles and you'll often see "Marina" nestled somewhere between the words "fucking" and "yuppie." So much for being the most tolerant town.)

Fortunately, just as the Corporation's music is balanced from many sources, so was the audience - On this night, the suits swayed back and forth and bounced up and down and waved their arms in the air in unison with the ravers, the artsy types, dreads, and indie-rocker types. Of particular note was the pink-clothing and snakeskin-Stetson clad Pamela Anderson wannabe (only with a nastier face) who was showing off her newly augmented breasts in the lounge, as well as the issue of a recent porn mag she was in. In typical SF fashion, she was met with a number of drooling guys but even more rolled-up eyes. It wasn't long before she was ridiing some guy on the VIP balcony, with a number of us pointing and laughing - but not for long, as the show itself was much more compelling than people humping. (Really.)

In the MaD pRoPz department, many thanks go to the band for allowing a fan to climb up on stage and dance her ass off for the last four or five songs of the show. With her on stage and the MCs running into the crowd to truly get the crowd going, the evening marked a level of audience participation in an electronic music show that is often all too lacking.

A round of applause (and cocktails) for the openers
The evening started off on a Swingers-esque vibe, with Italian keyboard impresario Niccola Conte armed with a Moog synth and a Titanium Powerbook and a young trombonist performing some upbeat, atmospheric jazz (with a touch of bossa) to help the opening rounds of drinks go down with ease. Second openers Blue State were reminiscent of the Cure in instrumentation and Massie Attack's Sara Jay in vocals, making for a very diverse, well-rounded night indeed.

Special thanks to Andrew Coyne for scoring the tickets and Jennifer for getting us VIP access with a bird's-eye-view of the stage - You rock!