Paranoize @ Undertone, Cardiff
Sat 8 July
Paranoize, who’ve been putting nights on now and again for a couple of years, seem like they’ve captured the essence of Cardiff clubbing in a way. No narrow genre restrictions, cheap entry fees and a commitment to upfront, hedonism-suited sounds. Previous nights have leaned towards drum’n’bass, grime and bass music – for this instalment, expect all that and more from twin Manchester threat, Chimpo and Black Josh.
Chimpo first got attention in the mid-00s, with a rush of releases on Manc dubstep label Contagious, but these days is probably best known as a DJ. His sets are prime bedlam inducers, flipping between trap, dancehall, jungle, r’n’b and anything else with a bass pulse. In spirit, and sometimes in sound, the Chimpo vibe kinda evokes Diplo, in his heyday around a decade back before he became an EDM icon.
Chimpo is the ‘host’ of Ape Tape, 2016’s album-length effort from Black Josh, and both are members of sprawling MCR hip-hop collective Levelz. Josh is primarily an MC, with a style that evades categorisation – not grime, not UK hip-hop, loosely recalling American names like Danny Brown but with his northern accent ringing through clear as glass, dirty as mud. It’s a reasonable bet that Josh and Chimpo will team up at some point during this evening, raising the pressure on a night that also features sets from Random, Gavin Woo, Boston and others.
Tickets: £8. Info: 029 2022 8883 (NG)
