Friday 02/09/05 DJ Format @ Union, Brighton

Joined, as ever, by MCs Abdominal and D-Sisive on a tiny stage in front of a few hundred loyal fans, Format is well rehearsed in working a crowd. Following on from a well-received Reading/Leeds midday set, the three offer exactly what the crowd expect. There is no attitude to be found at a Format gig, only party hip-hop awash with obscure (but always funky) samples cobbled together to make the kind of music that even Stephen Hawkins could bop along with. Drawing from debut album ‘Music For The Mature B-Boy’, as well as latest offering ‘If You Can’t Join ‘Em, Beat ‘Em’, it was almost impossible for this crowd to leave disappointed.

 

Despite the atmosphere, it was clear at times that Abdominal and D-Sisive at times sounded jaded – definitely not the same level of energy produced at the festival shows the week prior. Nobody seemed to mind (notice?), and tracks such as ‘Participation Pre-requisite’, ‘Ill Culinary Behaviour’ and ‘The Hit Song’ go down predictably well. A couple of freestyles are also thrown in for good measure (with Paris Hilton and Madonna’s “fake English accent” among the targets), bringing in some enthusiastic crowd participation.

 

DJ Format makes stylish music that you can dance your ass off to. Imagine the soundtrack to a hip-hop version of Oceans 11, and you might start to get the idea. And although D-Sisive pitches in his fair share of rhymes, it’s Abdominal that is the real lyrical star here. So try to ignore anything that MTV Base are trying to shove down your throat right now, as the genre isn’t quite as crap as you might imagine. Decent hip-hop right on your doorstop? Yes Yes y’all.