Early acid-house heavyweight Luke Vibert will be hitting the decks at the Black Box this Saturday on January 12. The producer, who frequently did live collaborations with Aphex Twin in the early 2000s, is anticipated to deliver his signature style of funky, modulated old-school electro and acid house. With dripping beats and chopped samples, the legend himself will be a sight to behold.
A fixture in the evolution of electronic music throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s, Vibert’s wild mixing style reflects his approach to production. He has produced tracks that jump all over the place, from ambient to drum n’ bass and jungle to trip-hop — hopping from alias to alias almost as fast as he switches tempos.
Vibert has released over eight full-length albums and numerous EPs under the Vibert moniker. However, he has also released both albums and EPs under at least six other aliases. For tracks that are less dancefloor-oriented and lean more towards percussive, glitchy experimentation, Vibert opts for the alias Wagon Christ — the alias he also used for his performances alongside Richard D. James, also known as Aphex Twin.
Vibert goes by the name Plug for his drum n’ bass tracks. He swaps out the Plug alias for the punny Amen Andrews moniker whenever he creates a track that samples the Amen break. His dub-soaked, 2-step beats are released under Spac Hand Luke, and he puts out funky, playfully slower disco under the name Kerrier District — and those don’t include the aliases he has used for one-off releases.
Just like his overwhelming variety in genre, name and presentation, Vibert approaches production with a similar multifaceted style, especially when it comes to sampling. His song, “Techno Disco,” for example, stitches together different vocal samples to sing the phrase “Techno Disco” throughout the track. Layered over a synth line from Inner City’s “Good Life,” and a bass line that might make listeners recall The Sugar Hill Gang, this song, in particular, serves as a great demonstration of Vibert’s sampling style.
Though he references, samples from and pays homage to a variety of other artists, all of his songs hold a uniquely Vibert-esque quality. No track lingers on any element or groove for more than a few bars before he takes the song in a different direction. The overall effect is a rich, varied discography that keeps listeners on their toes, ready for the many twists and turns.
His live sets bring out the best in his production. He has a refined ability to balance between keeping his sets textured and interesting while also leading the crowd through his transitions. He jumps around, but not too much. Most of his DJ mixes have a common thread that carries throughout the entire set, with some unexpected leaps sprinkled in here and there. Whichever of the many identities he cloaks himself in, it’s all Luke Vibert — so expect the unexpected on the darkened dance floor of the Black Box.
Local Denver-based DJ Kanyon Walker will warm up the night with bass-y, booty-shaking house. Seied, who is also based in Denver and is a local producer, will prime the crowd for anything but 4-on-the-floor beats with his break-filled bass tracks. A night filled with DJs that embrace a refreshing departure to the standard club music of Denver, this show will definitely be one for the books.