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Jimmy Edgar

At London Rhythm Factory

"This crowd is full of cunts," utters a friend.

Yes, yes it is. As less than fifty people mill around London's scabby Rhythm Factory, an east-end scenester retreat, famed for its impromptu Babyshambles shows and riotous Selfish Cunt gigs, Jimmy Edgar, Detroit techno's mack daddy, plays a vital, life-affirming set of mind-bending beats, glitch and synth.

Of the gaggle of people in this room, approximately eight are paying attention, the rest choosing to stand around talking, possibly about how badly promoted this show is (and it really is).

However, for those eight, what unfurls is nothing short of spectacular. Performing a set heavy with tracks from his new (and equally impressive) long-player, Color Strip, Edgar breathes a new kind of soul into what could easily be a soulless electronic display. One of the LP's less enthralling prospects, 'My Beats', becomes an undeniably awe-inspiring track, evolving from the slightly flat recorded performance to one tonight filled with energy and vigour.

On that notion, the better tracks from the record get even better, right? Well, yes, and then some. The encore of 'Hold It, Attach It, Connect It' is as epic as it is danceable, as fun to stand and watch as it is to uncontrollably spasm around the sparsely-populated dance floor.

For anyone with even a slight soft spot for electronica or techno, Jimmy Edgar is currently one of the most forward-thinking, accomplished producers in the world. Tonight's performance of his post-modernist take on To Rococo Rot leaves a few of us breathless and jubilant, and as for the rest of the room? Well, it's their loss...

  • Jimmy Edgar 9 / 10


  • He is accomplished

    but I wouldn't say he's that forward thinking. Much of Color Strip sounds like stuff that's been coming out of Detroit for years.

    • there's more to it than that

      he has a very distinct sound, and it's 'smoochier' than most techno.

      you can slowdance to it, and i think that was very intentional indeed.

      plus, he's bordering on 60s french film star level coolness.

      • exactly

        and he's also bringing it back round, making it more accessible and all the while looking like a cool motherfucker.

      • I agree that is a bit more laid-back than a lot of techno

        but he's so obviously from Detroit though and it's hardly groundbreaking. I'm just not that taken with Color Strip.

        • I think he is forward thinking.

          He definitely takes a lot of sounds from 80/90s detroit techno but he does it in a way that sounds amazingly fresh. "...STD" and "Hold It, Attach It..." sound like nothing anything else around.

          Who ever promoted last night should be sacked.
          from LIFE.

        • jimmy e

          regarding the closing paragraph.
          i would like to attach my own 11 cents, touching on the same opinion.
          not only is jimmy a rythmic scientist in creating music, he exudes an energy that is absent of the usual cliche exteriors of other artists out there. jimmy is still young,he has more than enough time to blow minds with his talent.who he is,defines the undefined with attractive mystery and inviting precision..( as a friend of his..i trust that .. his future is blinding and bright.)