November 01, 2001

The Greatest Biscuits show I've ever seen.

The show opens with another movie jam, ostensibly, but to me it sounds like a jammed out version of the Peanuts Theme (which was also played the night before), as it is bookended by that composition. Whether or not the band was jamming along to something on a screen, the jam itself is excellent. It feels almost like a full Jigsaw Earth minus the actual song, as there is a drawn out dub theme followed by a Chase Section-esque trance theme that builds to a hot peak. The Barfly that follows is standard. Pygmy has a fantastic driving trance jam, with a strong and catchy Magner theme from the jump. There is some great energy and interplay in this theme, which includes the first usage of the Gates of Hell patch since, I believe, 9/13. The jam breaks down almost entirely around the 10 minute mark and rebuilds itself into a steady groove. Excellent peak on the transition into M.E.M.P.H.I.S. The first jam in M.E.M.P.H.I.S. is a welcome change from the paint-by-numbers rock-god-Barber first jam treatment it had been getting for most of the year. It is patient, built around an infectious groove that hints of dub. Just shy of the ten minute it dissolves almost completely and builds up to the peak by way of an unconventional breakbeat theme. A thrilling peak ensues at 13:30, making this one of the longest M.E.M.P.H.I.S. first jams of all time in addition to one of the strongest of any era. The outro jam is not as strong, but it’s got some absolutely gorgeous atmospheric moments. Spectacle is standard. Morph is type one, but it settles into a pretty solid untz theme in the middle. Overall, nothing too remarkable.

The second set opens with an infuriating and perplexing choice: Story of the World, a fairly long composition, drop segues into the jamless Spy. Blerh. This is followed by one of the all-time great post-2K dnb jams: the Vancouver Svenghali. It begins with hauntingly minimalist atmosphere, descending synth lines and strange percussive effects, all punctuated by only an occasional note from Barber. It gradually builds to a crescendo before an almost total breakdown about halfway through. The second theme is much less a conventional dnb theme than the first; although the rhythm section firmly anchors it in that category, Barber takes the lead and develops a gorgeous theme that he develops throughout the jam. What follows this masterpiece is a 40 minute Basis, which, of course, conjures all sorts of preconceptions just on paper. I think this is probably a major reason why I see this version so frequently lambasted as bloated or dull. The former is definitely arguable, but I can’t get behind the latter at all. All three jams (yes, they’re quite drawn out) are tremendous exercises in patient atmospheric jamming. The first very much takes its time getting there, but Barber delivers a thrilling drop, and the journey getting there is beautiful. The middle jam, too, is very drawn-out. It has a variety of digital effects from Magner that work to create an interesting atmosphere, but beyond the “soundiness” the jam does little for me. The main jam is quite enjoyable, although I don’t think the patient and atmospheric style quite pays off here. The show ends as perplexingly as it began, with a very short pairing of Vassilios and Pilin’ it High that yields about 3 minutes of type one jamming total.

4/5. There’s plenty of filler, and the show is uneven. Yet the highlights shine through and are strong enough to carry the day. Svenghali and Pygmy > M.E.M.P.H.I.S. are the clear highlights, but the Linus and Lucy jam is awesome and the Basis is worth at least a single listen.

Stray Observations: After Spectacle, Barber mentions that it’s the band’s first time in Vancouver since 1999, a reference to 9/28/99. They talk more about Vancouver and the west coast (where, Brownie reminds everyone, the band now resides). Prior to Vassilios, Barber announces that there will be no encore. Brownie has another charming “argue with the audience” moment. “I’m not trying to be crass.” This was the first time Pilin’ was jammed into