Crystal Fighters
Named after an unfinished Basque screenplay, Crystal Fighters clash together folk, funk and latin-inspired rhythms to create a carnival unlike anything else. Three guys, two girls, they offer raved-up, percussive folktronica, veering from Fischerspooner-style euphoria to Animal Collective-toned delicacy, underpinned by a progressive contemporary London bass sound.
Though their distinctive production techniques take in all this and more, Crystal Fighters draw a broader and more profound influence - the energy and wild liberty of the 80s Spanish/Basque ‘anti-todo’ youth movement, including the songs of bands such as Eskorbuto, Sinistro Total and Golpes Bajos.
Likely to be the resident txalaparta bashers (instruments made out of wood or stone, expect resonating basslines, programmed beats and the reckless, boisterous vocal shouts Buraka Som Sistema have made their staple. "We make fast dance music with Basque instruments, synthesisers and our voices," sums it up pretty succinctly. Crystal Fighters are anything but.
The Hype:
The Guardian - "Instead of sucking at the teat of dance music's rinsed-out tech boobies, they play a carnivalesque amalgam of all the best bits of ghetto house, punk, Latin electro, South American and Basque folk traditions. A sub sonic boom-bap."
Backlash Magazine - "this is music to be shared and appreciated with a roomful of sweating, writhing strangers. Reports of the death of nu-rave have undoubtedly been exaggerated. It's just been enjoying a sunny sabbatical, growing its hair and living in Spain."
Where to catch them:
Feb 13 – The Playground@93ft East
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