We first spoke with up-and-coming UK electro-hop duo Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip back in August prior to the US release of their debut, Angles, and the conversation– as well as the album- was impressive enough to get us off our asses and down to the Echo in Los Angeles for their show last Wednesday, near the end of their extensive US club tour.
When we first arrived at the Echo, it was immediately obvious that tensions were running high and hot in the tiny club. The duo was in the middle of soundchecking, as evidenced by the jumpy breakbeat of breakthrough hit Thou Shalt Always Kill pulsing along as we made our way into the venue, but suddenly the music stopped to reveal Dan and the sound guy snapping back and forth at each other like… well, like people who have been playing shitty American clubs for a while now and have outgrown social graces.
Long story short, the sound guy quit and Dan stormed off. But shit was straight and game faces were on by showtime, which is all that ever matters.
The interview came off well, despite the night’s earlier drama and an unexpected interruption or two while shooting. Only in Los Angeles will you find iPod-wearing Mexican leprechaun ex-con tweakers crashing the party (and the interview) to ask for 30 cents to make a phone call. But that’s the real thread of beauty in this shitty little town- anything can, and usually does, happen.
While packing up our gear and taking care of our own business, we narrowly missed opener B. Dolan, a massive southsider-lookin’ type who I’d mistaken for the door guy (on account of his working the door), stripping down to an Evel Kneivel outfit and spitting some pretty sick rhymes. Around 11 PM, Pip and Sac took the stage and stepped up with a steamy set of surprisingly well-received tunes from their debut, Angles.
It’s a rare occasion that an audience will react the most strongly to a new, unreleased song, but a new track chronicling the history of hip-hop over a slutty breakbeat drew quite the reaction. Sure, the Echo’s about as tiny of a club as you’re going to find on this side of the pond, but the crowd was wildly enthusiastic, and Pip is a true showman with a lot of promise as an MC. It’s going to be exciting to see where these guys go next.
