Sonic surprises and studio gear

With a set that fused dub, dubstep and even ventured into deep house, Sherwood & Pinch’s album launch night was stuffed with sonic surprises - layers, twists and turns, changes in tempo and a velvet vibe that kept you gripped, and sometimes whipped.

“We built a recording studio on stage”, declared Adrian Sherwood part-way through the adventure. “We’re experimenting on you, hope you like it”.

Tracks from their innovative Late Night Endless album certainly featured, but it was far more than a straightforward run through of the release. They rapidly built and crafted the sounds to make something unique to the night.

Golden vocals and bass brain food

It was a joy to hear them play the golden vocals from Stand Strong, sung in Yoruban by Temi ‘Queen’ Odeyale, as well as album tracks such as Run Them Away, and Bucketman. They acted like audio anchor points, bringing you back to familiarity before speeding away into new territory.

Between the sweeter moments there were darker twists and tones and sounds, from the samples of breaking glass triggered with a drumstick, to politically charged lyrics - bass brain food. They dropped in some of the LSK Bowie Space Oddity cover ‘Mind control to make you dumb, the fence is up the camera’s on’ and Daddy Freddy’s ‘One Law For The Rich, Another For The Poor’.

Dubstep sounds and wobbles were given new complexity and tones in Sherwood’s hands, with plenty of Space Echo and other effects.

Velvet analogue sounds and hi tech triggers

Sherwood played and created sounds, and used his Midas analogue desk like an instrument, often in a two-handed very physical way, to create delays and more, sending out a velvet and warm presence that dialled in to your core. If you looked closely you could also see he was working his phone to shape effects via Bluetooth in his Eventide Harmonizer H9.

Pinch was using an Akai APC40 to trigger his sounds into the desk, along with the same Roland SPD and drum stick set up as Sherwood.

Pushing sound and gear to the limits

They were pushing their sound and also their gear to their limits. The technical set-up was precarious at times - something Sherwood ‘fessed up to mid-set.

Sherwood & Pinch gave an exhilarating, complex, and mind-expanding performance that hit you hard and hit you deep, in the best possible way.

Late Night Endless is an On-U Sound / Tectonic Recordings release and is available on vinyl, CD, and download from iTunes, Amazon and more.