REVIEW: K.T.S, GCEE and KidNap CyNAp at The White Hart 19/11 (From Basingstoke Gazette)

REVIEW: K.T.S, GCEE and KidNap CyNAp at The White Hart 19/11

9:57am Thursday 1st December 2011 in Music

IT IS amazing to see how far the music scene has come in Basingstoke; the diversity of acts from acoustic performers to the wide selection of metal, punk and beyond has given much more flavour to the town’s already unique and ever developing sound.

Another genre was explored and displayed in all its glory with three acts of electronica stepping up to exhibit their skills and wow the crowd at The White Hart.

Up first was KidNap CyNap. A one man project that bridged the gap between dubstep and dark sounding dance, an array of slick yet chilling beats was delivered flawlessly. Set highlight Love God created a polyrhythmic journey with such varying degrees of aural texture. A tough task to open up for the evening but the tone was well and truly set with the tight and sharp production of KidNap CyNap.

A regular to the music scene of Basingstoke, Gary Choppen a.k.a. GCEE, then took the stage for the first time in over three years. A buzzing mash-up of dance, rock and pop culture samples blended effortlessly under a sea of lights and lasers and dazzling, eye-popping visuals. The likes of songs such as Double Trouble with its early Prodigy-esque stomp and the cyberpunk tinged Digimental made their mark; as did the intricate and clever reworkings of Radiohead’s Street Spirit and The Tubeway Army’s Are Friends Electric? which had the crowd singing in unison. A strong and intelligent performance and a welcome return to the live circuit from GCEE.

The musical dynamic quickly changed with the arrival of K.T.S. The local dance trio, who recently got signed to Candy Bass Records, stunned the crowd with fist-pumping beats straight out of the nineties that were laced with splashes of jaw-dropping dubstep and were made even more powerful with sophisticated yet soaring vocals of singer Mel Saunders. Recent single, the epic-sounding Inside Out opened the up the intimate venue showing that the young act had tonnes of potential and a bright future ahead of them.

A night of where some of the town’s more leftfield projects got the chance to shine and show a different yet equally side stunning of Basingstoke’s musical talents.

Matt Rich