RECOMMENDED
The Meat Beat lineup and the group’s sound may change over the years, but Jack Dangers remains as the group’s creative, prolific frontman, producer and vocalist. Dangers, who started making music in England, moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1994 and has stayed there ever since. MBM’s music boasts a variety of musical styles and tempos, with many early tracks providing thundering bass that makes it feel as if it’s rearranging your organs. Many bizarre spoken-word samples, urgent breakbeats and politically charged lyrics urging fans to think for themselves and to reject conformity also help to fuel the MBM classics. Newer, more down-tempo songs also impress with soothing, sexy jazz and smooth, pretty instrumental layers. The group’s latest album, “Autoimmune,” also delights with breaks, drum ‘n’ bass, trip-hop and more sounds. Since many consider MBM’s early music, with its funky breakbeats and rapid-fire rhythms, to be the precursor of drum ‘n’ bass, it’s refreshing to hear some breakbeat and other hypnotizing sounds on “Autoimmune” as well. “Hellfire” has breaky, shuffly beats and eerie ambient textures. “Young Cassius” is full of trip-hop flavor and breaks as Azeem raps in a staccato-like flow. “Less” is a more glitchy electro workout, with heavy bass and delightfully kooky, wonky sounds. “Colors of Sound,” with its bleeps and sparks, makes you feel like you’re dancing under water. And “Spanish Vocoder” is a standout track for sure: Breaky and choppy, it has trippy-cool melodic layers that float along smoothly atop harsher techno squelches. So, whether it’s new MBM tracks, oldies or a mix of both that Jack and company play, you know that they’ll rock it. (Mary Susan Littlepage)
Saturday, April 19 at Abbey Pub
Reviews, profiles and news about music in Chicago
