so solid in america

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From: "Drive By" Reply-To: goldspot@hotmail.com To: pkenned@hotmail.com
Subject: Friday Jan 18th, Drive By presents So Solid Crew Date: Mon, 14 Jan 02 23:47:37
Friday January 18th Drive By 2-Step Presents: So Solid Crew
So Solid are gaining worldwide recognition with the release of their 2-step album "They Don't Know". Their recent number one smash '21 Seconds' platformed the crew's cutting edge blend of R&B, rap, ragga and garage beats, a blistering sound that's come straight from the underground raves and pirate radio stations of South London. Over 30 members deep, the crew rolls like the wu-tang of 2-step- Heavy on the MC's and rollin style beats, So Solid bring the upfront party vibe and the exclusive selections. This Friday will celebrate their first ever U.S. performance!!!
featuring: Megaman, MC Romeo & DJ Swiss Plus DJ's: Dinesh, Greg Poole w/MC I-Dris(Wikkid) & Radeus
$10 guestlist before 1am with RSVP: goldspot@hotmail.com or 212-560-0951

Location: Centro-fly, The Pinky, 45 West 21st., off 6th ave. Subway: F to 23rd st.

― jess, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

should i go? i think i really wanna go.

― jess, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You're not a 15 year old girl, so you should be quite safe.

― Nicole, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Don't bother, to be honest I don't see what all the fuss is about. [DG prepares for crucifixion]

― DG, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Young people today, haterz the lot of them. Do you not like them raking papers or something DG?

― Emma, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

'As a young child, DG would always GRRR in anger at the Wombles. With the advent of the So Solid Crew, we see how little haf changed'

― Sarah, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i'm with DG on this. if it was so NAUTICAL crew on the other hand...

― katie, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Just as an aside, I can't help but notice
So Solid Crew --> Garage
as
Miles Davis --> Jazz
Bob Marley --> Reggae

Make of that what you will.

― DG, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So Solid Crew --> Garage

there may or may not be truth in this. is difficult to say, but a while ago the answer would have been artful dodger...

― gareth, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If what you suggest is true DG and *anyone* here listens So Solid Crew but doesn't listen to other garage, I will smack them. And I *like* So Solid Crew.

― Tim, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I listen to what's in the top 40, Tim, and that's pretty much it to be honest. Whats a good up-to-date mix CD (if any?)

― Tom, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I just see what's on MTV and it is mostly so solid and their offshoots, mind you there are those blokes where there's four of them, two with shaved heads, two with dreads, they're pretty good, the the last video had them going into some mc fite booth.

― chris, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"there may or may not be truth in this."
There is - no-one I know likes So Solid Crew, not even LC's garage- luvvin' partygirl friends. And they know their garage.

― DG, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Tim, is there a subgenre called "Speak Garage" or was it just the dude in Borders messing up by loudly proclaiming he was a massive Speak Garage fan when he meant Speed Garage?

― Nicole, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Yeah but when people who 'know' a genre hate some offshoot of it that either means a) it's really rubbish or b) it's really good and interesting.

― Tom, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Hmm...in this case I think I'd go with a).

― DG, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I wuv the So Solid Crew.

― Pete, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i hear they are even more popular than the strokes in essex.

― gareth, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Who are the Strokes? Where is Essex?

― DG, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

how perfect is it that the club called "Drive-By"?

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i went to the first drive-by 2-step night. it was pretty good, BUT YOU COULDNT DANCE. as per usual in nyc. sigh...

― jess, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Why couldn't you dance? Was it an all seater venue?

― RickyT, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

against the law. (get yr head around that one for a minnit.)

― jess, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I sense Mayor (ex-mayor) Giuliani's strange dance license thing going on here! Is it really true that to have people dancing in your bar/pub/club in NY you have to have a special license? that = madness!

― chris, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

hence that monolgue on the David Holmes track.

― Alan Trewartha, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

that = madness!

indeed. a "cabaret liscense" from our antiquated past. an ex of mine who worked in a bar actually had to -stop- people from dancing quite often.

― jess, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

not v.funny ep of spin city based round this very phenom

― mark s, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

IIRC the law's similar here, only you need that license to put on any type of band at all, so the situation where you get men with sticks stopping you dancing at a gig doesn't ever arise.

― RickyT, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I bet Pete's going to turn up any minute and tell me I'm talking out of my arse.

― RickyT, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ricky, you're sort of talking out of your arse. Actually you're not, the PPL is what you are refering to, a public performance licence which you need if you are going to be putting on a band or any form of entertainment greater than two blokes with an acoustic guitar. However the law is a bit looser with regards to just "dancing" along to - say a jukebox (which you will be paying PRS on) and then it all comes a lot more down to intention. If the police regularly caught people dancing (like they would care) then they may toy with sending the councils PPL people around. Impromptu DJ sets are okay too.

― Pete, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

howEVA: whatever one may think of Centro-Fly, one may dance there. this may be to do with the fact that some of the 20 or so cabaret licenses that exist in NY are tied to the actual building site itself, and not the business that resides there (i figure most likely the result of some long-ago-done shady deal-making with landlords) - i think tramp's had one, so when they shut and CF moved in, they inherited the cab. license.

i actually liked drive-by better when it was at chelsea lounge and you couldn't dance; it contributed to that nervous, jittery steady-rising-tension garage thing

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There are only 20 places you can legally dance in the whole of New York!?

― RickyT, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Crikey!

― DG, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Blimey, remind me not to do the MADNESS NUTTY BOY WALK down any of your charming 'sidewalks' when I get round to visiting New Yorks Fair City in case that could be classifed as an arrestable offence...

― Sarah, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This is as mad as the washing machine thing!

― Tom, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Get ready for the Al-Quaeda dancers to cause mayhem and revolution and sedition with a ghetto blaster, some MC Hammer and some moves.

― Ronan, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Footloose 2: KEvinBacon moved to New York and fites the Mayor over lack of personal washing machines and inability to dance - mahn.

So what about Coyote Ugly then? Does that have a licence?

― Pete, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

only for the bar-top ;)

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Definately go. The lyrics are asinine but they produce the strangest beats in the charts today.

― Ed, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The lyrics are asinine?????

― dave q, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

DG if your Miles Davis analogy is right then this So Solid Crew must be the best thing ever. Thanks so much for the tip.

― Josh, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Does Yankee stadium have a dance permit? I was wondering why they didn't play YMCA there, like they do in Oakland.

― Kris, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The YMCA moves that stadium groundskeepers do at Shea when they drag the infield isn't quite "dancing", it's more "making un utter ass of oneself" so does not fall under the statute

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

(Insert "I don't know" before last para)

― Tracer Hand, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

You know what I mean, Josh.

― DG, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

but DG the meat of yr point only kicks in after a few years gave passed surely? (40+ in case of Miles, 30-odd in case of Marley)

i like so solid and bought their record to prove it: doubtless they are horrible people but so is sarah michelle gellar!!!!

― mark s, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

i can't wait until so solid release their agharta.

― jess, Tuesday, 15 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And then for the future Wynton Marsalis to complain about them selling out to a white audience.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

After which of course they hook up with Bill Laswell and do a quadruple-CD concept album called Mutiburaoaonexoatosis with special guests Pete Namlook, Daniel Ponce, Archie Shepp, Sly & Robbie, Blixa Bargeld, Fennesz and DJ Olive.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

then and only then will i concede that DG had a point all along

― mark s, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Don't forget that they all have to get murdered by D%nny B%k%r.

― Tom, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This now seems hopelessly irrelevant, but..

I was just kidding Tom. I won't smack anyone. Garage fans who aren't into So Solid Crew probably like garage for silly reasons (garage is one area where I begin to lose sight of subjectivity, unfortunately) but the vice versa is much less likely to be true. What truthfully annoys me about English garage-agnostics is that I think of all the TIME, EFFORT and MONEY that goes into my addiction, and hate them for not even being aware of how comparatively easy they have it.

The best compilation is far far and away Masterstepz's Ayia Napa, The Album 2001 on Ministry of Sound. It's over half a year old now but it's still pretty up-to-date because a lot of tracks appear on comps long before they're released. Avoid compilations mixed by EZ. There are usually good tracks on them but they succeed only in spite of his annoying mix-skills and overrated diversity (no, mediocre house and breakbeat tracks *do not* sound better just because they're surrounded by 2-step).

― Tim, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Garage fans who aren't into So Solid Crew probably like garage for silly reasons

why is this Tim?

― gareth, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ich habe der garage lust cos of die grosse rot noses und big floppy schoes! Never mind the fights of custard pie! I usually go and see garage in a club they call 'The Big Top'. What is an MC? I believe us real garage fans here in Dreisburg call him das 'ring keeper'.

― frau so solid, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

(I'm so sorry. *weeps*)

― Sarah, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Free free to write a whole NYLPM review like that.

― Tom, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Gareth: stop asking me to elaborate on meaningless assertions!

Okay part-way answer. A lot of the anti-SSC rants I've read from garage fans tend to consist of:

a) they've sold out and are no longer underground (fear of charts = silly, as is liking music just because it's underground)

b) they're not soulful enough and why can't we go back to "Battle"? (fetishisation of soulfulness = silly; wanting to retard garage's development and focus on its least interesting aspect = silly)

c) they'd be alright if they used breakbeats instead of 2-step beats (if you don't like 2-step beats you = silly, and doubly so if you got into UK Garage hoping they'd suddenly disappear).

Strangely, few of these critics ever seem to comment on the violence that makes SSC controversial as *pop stars*. Perhaps because the garage scene in the UK is so violent anyway.

This is neither watertight nor particularly reasonable, I'm aware (and in no way is it objective, obviously!).

― Tim, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

yes, tim, i thought it would be something along these lines. although i like the so solid i've heard (which isn't that much oddly), i'd hold most truck with answer b), which is a really strange thing for me to think! i do have some sympathy with those that think this though, not that i think garage needs to be 'more' soulful, or return to anything, but i can see that much of garages appeal (for me at least) is the clash between the glittery and the rawkus, and that so solid may lean particularly towards the roughneck. i don't see this as a problem per se, as it is another development, something else, something new again, but i can see the point of those who like the twinklyness of garage and fear that the rise of so solid could herald its demise...

― gareth, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

B-b-b-but LISA MAFFIA!! Her angel-of-the-battlefield style is probably the most soulful thing in all pop right now, and the conceptual core of the SSC to boot.

― Tom, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Really it's the case that the hip hop ethos has prevailed over, and probably superseded, the rave ethos in UK dance music from d&b onwards. Stampeding rather than twinkling. Or Black Flag rather than Modern Romance, to put it in a winter of '81-type laboured metaphorical way.

I should draw everyone's attention to a splendid new 2CD So Solid mix album called "Fuck It!" which came out on Monday. Everything from Beddingfield to Pay As You Go Kartel and beyond. A crucial record to own, I'd say.

― Marcello Carlin, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I thought Pay As U Go Cartel were a load of dodgy Brixton chancers as there are loads of their stickers and fliers and stuff (saw a flier in the Chinese even RAH) and then I see them getting TOP PRESS... of course this doesn't stop them being Dodgy Brixton Chancers but there ya goes.

― Sarah, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I will give anything a chance if it doesn't have Bill Laswell on it

― dave q, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

But that means you can only listen to about five albums ever made.

― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

so SHOULD I GO or NOT? ;)

― jess, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No! Don't believe the hype.

― DG, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Jess, go. If only to see the hordes of Brit journos looking to file their big in America pieces.

― Billy Dods, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Gareth - I'm sympathetic to what you're saying. Personally I reckon that the initial *house* influences were sort of purged before they were fully explored (oh for more tracks like the Dubaholics remix of Matt Darey's "Beautiful"!).But as you point out SSC only represent one end of a scene which still ends up in ultra-light helium-pop (see: Mis-teeq, Ladies First, and Liberty!).

There was however a certain strain of rhetoric that rose up around "Battle", "Crazy Love" and similar records that desperately wanted to posit garage as a sort of UK nu-soul, downplaying *everything* that's good in garage in favour of real instruments and singing and a muso maturity (ie. stuff you can get anywhere). The fact that I like both records listed doesn't change the fact that this was an *awful* idea.

It was the stifling nature of this rhetoric (plus the fearsome rise of breakbeat) that made "Oh No" such a blast for me, as it simultaneously reasserted the importance of garage as youth music, as dance music *and* as pop music in one delicious package.

― Tim, Wednesday, 16 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

b-but Sarah, all great pop records are made by dodgy chancers!

Not necessarily from Brixton, I grant you.

― Marcello Carlin, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Go!

― suzy, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

jess i am told to get there before 11.

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"If you weren't in New York City last night, you missed a heavy party! Oh man, it was great, Big up to DJ Swiss! My feet were on fire from dancing! It was only Megaman and Face on the mic and they ripped it! They were on the mic for about 2 hours, plus they danced and it was true love! They seemed to be surprised that when they start playing "They Don't Know "Haterz" "Deeper" "Skyla" and of course "21 Seconds" a lot of people were singing the songs back to them! They played some Oxide and Neutrino "Rap Dis" and the place went crazy. I was with about 8 people, two are British and they were bigin up South London and ****! It was a real good time! No guns, no violence, just a whole lot of sweatin!"

this is from sosolid.com

― ambrose, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So who's up for putting their money where their mouth is and going garage clubbing in Romford, then? Hmm?

― DG, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

jess were you there?? I ran into a gaggle of paul kennedy et al. as well as lydia and jamila, my ex-roomie & her best mate. we're dancing over on the side -- the wikkid crew was relaxed and funny, and REALLY good i thought -- and we were roughly shoved aside by a bunch of serious-looking people making a beeline for the DJ booth. one of them feels lydia's ass. lydia wheels but he's past, and the girl behind him says, as she passes, something to the effect of "hey congratulations you've just been felt up by the so solid crew!" charming.

all anyone could talk about was how they'd brought a bodyguard; i think we all talked about it because we were amused that they were so paranoid. i guess if li'l wayne played london he'd have a bodyguard too, though. anyway, the best part of the night was when they played all the hip hop that no one at home in London wants to hear! the crowd was feelin em up to that point, but when they broke out "hateration" and busta rhymes and eminem and ODB, everbody lost it. after they came off they hung about beside the booth, behind their little ropes. dinesh played "21 seconds" and they looked at all of us dancing to their song with their arms crossed, blank expressions on their faces, their bodyguard sipping a bottle of water in his suit and fedora (!) It seemed like they weren't having a lot of fun, which was too bad cause we were.

― Tracer Hand, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"Hateration" really was amazing. After hours of compressed jungle-style tightness and rumble, it was a revelation, like a fog lifting.

― Tracer Hand, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Best outfits: the 6'4" woman with the widebrimmed hat, and the woman with the red leather jacket and matching red leather hat. jamila talked to her and she'd come all the way from england on cheap tix, just to see SSC!

― Tracer Hand, Sunday, 20 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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