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Shalabi Effect / Tristeza: A sitting concert without chairs

Shalabi Effect live on stage convinces to the fullest.
04 mei 2002, Zaal België, Hasselt (BE)

Tekst: Bas Ickenroth

Publicatiedatum: 19 mei 2002

The otherwise so evident tables and chairs, like in an old jazzcafé, are removed from the interior this evening in Zaal België. Not such a good choice. The music that is presented today sounds a lot better when listening to it in a sitting position. A missed chance. Luckily there are still some old couches and chairs standing in the back of the venue.

Tristeza kicks off. They do this in a rather apprehensive and modest way, where it would be much more suitable to pepper things up a bit. The impression that doesn't leave my gut for the entire concert is that it all sounds so neat. Neat music, neat boys, neat performance. Their version of post-rock isn't much different from the standard post-rock references Mogwai and Tortoise, but they totally lack the energy outbursts of the first one and the originality and excitement of the second one in their best moments. Tristeza has found the fuel but isn't able to find the matches this evening. What lasts is a pleasant trip that tends to get forgotton too soon.

Shalabi Effect is a whole different story. On their first selt-titled album the almost completely improvised music was inspired by eastern drones, made by acoustic instruments. On their new one The Trail Of St-Orange the sound is enriched with modern electronics and processed fieldrecordings. Until this evening I only had the first one in my possession, which makes that the music is quite a suprise. The eastern drones are almost gone. The audible ingredients of this evening: a bath of sound, made by all kinds of electronica, tablas, an Apple computer, oud, guitar, synths, a hammer which is being pulled over the stagefloor, a zipper of a sportsbag, a double bass, a trumpet. A piece of unintended feedback that suited perfectly in the whole atmosphere. It is very interesting to see that the four members of the Shala bi Effect find and follow each other blindly in these bizarre improvisations. The pieces are long, but are never boring. They are able to keep the attention for the full hour of the performance, an hour that goes by much too fast. Shalabi Effect live on stage goes a whole further than on record, and convinces to the fullest.

This evening Rafael Toral plays after the two bands above, but due to other obligations I unfortunately have to leave before he starts. A real shame. If someone did see and hear him, please let me know.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/live/shalabi-effect/shalabi-effect-tristeza-a-sitting-concert-without-chairs/1562/
Meer Shalabi Effect op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/shalabi-effect