JD73 @ The Wardrobe
By Joel GoldmanThe buzz of anticipation hangs heavy in The Wardrobe as JD73 take to the stage to make their debut. It's the culmination of a year's hard work for Dan Goldman, the funk-fingered Morcheeba keyboardist responsible for JD73's distinctive brand of Electro-funk, and if tonight's reaction is anything to go by, good times are ahead.
As the drums kick in on 'Zeroes and Ones' (the title track from JD73's hotly anticipated debut) the pilgrimage to the dancefloor begins. Pounding beats and percussion mix with sharp brass bursts and pornstar guitar to create a seventies strut before 'Ascension' shakes things up with a menacing rhythm which truly means business. Dan Goldman's trademark Fender Rhodes solo dazzles, along with some impressive noodling form Johnny Heyes.
The trio of 'Love one another' 'Dusty Rhodes' and 'Dazed and Confused' bring things down a notch and lend a soulful edge to the performance, not least due to the incredible vocal talents of Rachel Modest. The diminutive singer's powerful voice wows the crowds and adds another dimension to JD73's repertoire. The 8 piece band is as tight as PVC underwear and the rich sound they produce seems almost effortless.
'Swing 'til it hurts' is a modern jazz epic intent on frazzling the brain and 'Crazy' draws the biggest cheer of the night so far. Once again Modest's voice brings something extra, whilst Dan Goldman's smooth vocoder harks back to Herbie Hancock's 'I thought it was you'.
'Happy People' and 'Tom Tom' draw the last remaining spectators onto the floor in readiness for what is to be the undoubted highlight of the night. A superb cut of electro-disco with the potential to be a huge hit, 'ElectroBoogie' gets to the parts other funk can't reach and inspires frantic dancing all round. The quality is maintained to the very last as 'U can't hurt me' signals a superb end to this debut gig and, in turn, the start of big things to come for JD73.
