With the promise of some of the best of local breakbeat talent alongside the undeniably infamous breaks legends, Phantom Beats, the scene was set last Saturday eve at Heat Nightclub for those inclined to snare laced drums. As the night began, the fourth iteration of the Bumpa series presented itself with ferocity, startling punters with its fresh take on the nuevo-breakbeat scene. From its initial inception last August, and following on the footsteps of September’s local showcase, as well as a prior staunch performance by the mighty Stanton Warriors, Bumpa has quickly become the monthly gig of choice for breaks fanatics.
Arriving late and with some time passed, rumour on the floor was that 8Ball and Signal Drivers had both executed clean and well dished out sets. From prior experience, both are names to watch, and one can only hope in the near future that they are able to secure later timeslots to allow even more pundits to witness their skills.
With beer in hand and ears open, the creative cuts and flourishes of Armee and partner-in-the-mix Fdel then marched into the line up. Pulling out some more old school party breaks and pieces to enlighten the evening; this set left several punters with jaws agape. With some great intertwined beat-mincing, the pair gave a great warm-up vibe which was followed with the solid and smoother tracks of one of Perth’s breakbeat stalwarts, Echoic.
Stepping up to the gauntlet, Micah then unleashed the pre-atmospherics for the lead in to the main event. Micah has consistently proven himself a worthy bastion of breakdom, this set was no exception, as he laid down the rules of engagement with firmer bass-lines and breaks – the recent trend towards more “party” flavoured breaks was in little evidence here; he fed the crowd a somewhat harder edged flavour of tunes which had this reviewer sliding his feet in deliberate glee.
Having made their name as more than competent producers over the past few years under prominent breaks labels such as Plastic Raygun, Freakaboom and Functional Breaks, the Phantom Beats hit the stage running and charged the atmosphere with their abilities. With less of a “tranced” out breaks edge than former Bump events, the Beats concentrating on the more “pure” spectrum of breakbeat – and it was evident that this is exactly what those crowding the dance floor were after. It was refreshing to see such talented mixing skills flying alongside their more than prodigious production abilities, and they pulled off their set with aplomb and crowd pleasing expertise.
After the beautifully executed Beat’s set, Gully and Betty Swollox (Daz K vs Leroy) continued to pump the crowd well and truly to daybreak in what can only be described as a truly awesome evening of musical exposition.
Bumpa continues to show itself up as a worthy series of breakbeat events, with a strong following and a liberal dose of variety amongst the sets played. With many an individual citing an even better atmosphere than the prior almighty Stanton Warriors set, Bumpa keeps going from strength to strength, leaving a multitude of breaks fans eagerly await the next iteration.
