"We just had the club let us know that we're partying too hard and the building is shaking too much," MC Flipside warns his audience, halfway through "Keep it Live," the new in-concert platter from Freaky Flow, Toronto's native son of drum 'n' bass. "So we gotta simmer down a bit because they just did some construction." Flow’s stunning selections
"Keep It Live"
as crucial as finger work
Freaky Flow with Flipside (Moonshine)
By Shawn "Speedy" Lopes
slopes@starbulletin.comConsidering the breakneck pace at which DJ Freaky Flow flips his dizzying selections, and the accompanying whistles, hoots and hollers of his hometown disciples, peril would seem inevitable.
"Keep It Live" places its listener smack dab in the middle of the pandemonium, and even the most avid drum 'n' bass consumer would be hard pressed to find a hotter live deejay recording. As Flow ignites a firestorm of electronic rhythms, his partner in crime, Flipside, keeps the crowd involved with tight, on-the-spot-rhymes and verbal trade-offs with his audience ("Who's better than the Toronto junglists?" "What's my deejay's name?" and "When I say 'Freaky,' you say 'Flow'!").
Freaky Flow's stunning selections exhibit a keen ear. Tracks like Visionary's "Forward" and 4 Hero & Goldie's "A Better Place" rock the spot, upper BPM's and all. Even with brilliant bursts of scratching popping up throughout his set, it is Flow's cognizance of rhythm and momentum that makes "Keep it Live" such a listenable package. His ability to create and sustain a high level of energy in a live situation proves a deejay's listening skills are every bit as crucial as his finger work.
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