Live on the Next Wave, Pt. 1 [Import] [Limited Edition] [Live]

Live on the Next Wave, Pt. 1 [Import] [Limited Edition] [Live]

Track Listings

1. Opening

2. Porcelain/ Next Wave

3. Tornado

4. Anger

5. Motormouth

6. Down And Dirty

7. Dancefloor Combat

8. Thrill Me- Such A Thrill

9. Everything Needs Love

10. Like No One's Looking * Bonus Disc 2*

11. Dancefloor Combat

12. Motormouth

13. Everything Needs Love * Cd Extra*

14. Motormouth< Vj>

Tracks:

Opening
Porcelain/Next Wave
Tornado
Anger
Motormouth
Down and Dirty
Dancefloor Combat
Thrill Me: Such a Thrill
Everything Needs Love
Like No One's Looking
Dancefloor Combat
Motormouth
Everything Needs Love
Motormouth

Customer Reviews:

Not your parents? definition of a live concert..........2004-05-09

Back in the mid-1990s the Japan-based, Shinichi Osawa-led group Mondo Grosso furthered the cause of the so-called "acid jazz" movement with a series of visionary albums (albeit a bit hard to sort through given the preponderance of remixes of basically the same core set of tracks). Most notably a live tour circa 1995 showed them to be quite an outstanding combo (as heard on the CD/DVD EUROPEAN EXPEDITION, featuring Monday Michiru). As the 1990s passed into Y2K MG became less of a band and more a series of studio projects by Osawa, from the eclectic world-groove sounds of MG4 to the more recent house/electronica of NEXT WAVE (issued in 2003).

Osawa toured Japan in the wake of WAVE, and I wondered how he would adapt the studio-programmed production of that album to a live stage. Not to mention NEXT WAVE featured a procession of notable, mostly Japan-based vocalists from UA to BoA to (USA-based) Kelis to Lori Fine and so on...not exactly artists who are going to be available to make cameo appearances at each gig. Well, the answer is that Shinichi came up with an elaborate dj setup with the intention of keeping a "concert" audience entertained along the lines of traditional performers. Now, turntables are not an uncommon sight in concerts these days, but usually the dj is part of a band of musicians. Here there doesn't appear to be an actual instrument in sight, not even Osawa's bass (there is a keyboard solo, but I don't know if Osawa plays at that level of proficiency or if it's yet another sample).

The crowd seems to respond enthusiastically to the mix of Osawa's dj set (featuring mostly tracks from NEXT WAVE) and a multi-faceted, concurrently running display of visuals, including lasers and video footage projected behind the stage. How I know this is via the bonus multimedia footage which is alongside several new remixes on the second disc. Osawa's "sidepersons" are not musicians, but rather individuals who seem to assist him with coordinating the visuals with the music. Osawa seems to have been successful in getting the crowd involved with this relatively unique performance. However, the final frontier facing this paradigm-breaking approach to a "live concert" is: can it come alive on a compact disc, where only the audio portion of the performance is presented?

In my opinion Osawa spins a pretty effective set, but most of what's heard are the same versions of key NEXT WAVE cuts, tweaked at times with sonic effects, and with the audience heard responding to the breaks and various points of recognition. It's worth an occasional listen for curiosity's sake, but more often than not I'd rather just go back to the NEXT WAVE album and hear the tracks minus the crowd reaction. Unlike a "normal" concert with humans playing instruments (e.g., Prince), there aren't enough actual musical variables in this dj set to inspire repeated listens that would elevate this set to classic live album status. Perhaps there's been too radical a leap taken for the 2003 edition of MG to succeed aesthetically as an audio-only experience. I gotta admit I would have liked to have been at the "concert," though.