05/07/2004



Friday night saw the heavyweights of soul, funk, hip-hop and all things nu-jazz descend on the grounds of the beautiful mansion house in South Hill Park, Bracknell for the opening night of Out There 2004. With the rain just holding off and the sun setting, nu-soul man of the moment Amp Fiddler took the stage to face what can only be described as a small but inquisitive crowd! One thing that can be said about Fiddler is that he has a slick stage presence and an abundance of charisma, with which he soon won over his audience (most of whom it seems had never heard of him!). ?Waltz of the Ghetto Fly? was as cool as ever, and his version of Moodymann?s ?I?m Doin? Fine? went down particularly well with the now merry and very vocal crowd.



In the Cellar Bar all night was the wit and vocal musings of Phrased & Confused. The collective of Earl Zinger (Red Egyptian, 2 Banks of Four), Charlie Dark (Blacktronica, Attica Blues) and Patrick Neate (Whitbread Award winner) performed their own poems and prose that veered from dark tales of Hackney life, to the incredibly amusing tales and characters of Sunday morning football. During breaks from poetry, a selection of the finest reggae, soul, funk and jazz was on offer for the audience to absorb, which begged the question posed by Phrased & Confused themselves; Which came first, the music or the words?



Despite receiving critical acclaim and recognition from many corners of the musical press, when Ozomatli (who closed the Main Stage) asked the crowd how many people had heard of them they were met with little response. However, it was impossible for people new to the group not to marvel in their ensuing performance. Classics such as ?Como Ves? and ?O Le Le? sat comfortably alongside cuts from their new album ?Street Signs?, all met with a raucous reaction. Horns, guitars, drums, congas, turntables and solid vocal performances conjured up a spectacle that many of the on-looking Bracknellites would fail to forget for quite some time.



As Ozomatli finished up, it was inside to the Wilde Stage (a fine setting, only marred by overzealous anti-smoking security who endeavoured to vigorously seek out and extinguish every lit cigarette in the house) for the 12 piece funk experience that is the Quantic Soul Orchestra. By now the crowd was in the mood to get down to some serious groove manoeuvres, and they were not disappointed. In the confines of the intimate theatre setting QSO went through their vast repertoire of self-penned funk and obscure 60? and 70?s dance floor classics. Their versions of D?Angelo?s/Red Astaires ?Follow Me? and Kitty Winter?s ?New Morning? were particularly well received by the increasingly enthusiastic crowd.

After an emphatic finale by QSO, Gilles Peterson took to the decks to man the rest of the night?s proceedings. Starting off with the Blend Crafters ?Lola? and moving through to ?Worldwide? (Domu?s homage to Gilles? late night show on Radio 1), things were in full swing. He was able to take the intensity captured by QSO and channel into a 90 minute mix that encapsulated all that is good about dance music today; energy, passion and respect. A new remix of The Doors - ?Bossarocker? was followed by current dance floor fave - ?Happy? and S.U.M.O?s ?Make A Move? demanding that the dance floor jolt to new and un-chartered rhythms.



At 1:30, as the afro-house gem ?Spirit of Drums? faded out, and the lights began to once more illuminate the theatre, people were left bewildered by a joyous night of truly original and inspiring music. The night had begun with people slightly unsure of what they were watching, but ended with a shared sense of complete musical fulfilment.