Tuesday, January 28, 1997
CONCERT:
Singer Martine adds soft edge to trip-hop artist’s scathing
vocalsBy Trinh Bui
Daily Bruin Contributor
Saturday night blew in cold, rain and darkness  perfect
for a Tricky concert. The enigmatic Tricky brought his trademark
trip-hop style to a sold-out El Rey theater for a performance that
spanned more than two hours. He had no opening act; he didn’t need
one. After a wait of an hour and a half, all the lights went out
for the rest of the night and the Tricky one emerged.
Tricky started the show with his back turned to the crowd,
playing the keyboard as Martine, the vocalist behind most of his
songs, whispered a beautiful rendition of "Ponderosa" off Tricky’s
critically acclaimed debut, "Maxinquaye." Along with loops and
ambient noise, a very capable four-piece tour band added punch to
Tricky’s usually slow beats.
After opening the show with old school trip-hop, Tricky
unleashed "Christiansand" from his new disc "Pre-Millennium
Tension," a biting commentary on love. Not until three songs into
the show did Tricky face the audience for "Lyrics of Fury."
For the rest of the night, Tricky pleased his fans with abrasive
vocals. He used his microphone as a weapon, shooting his lyrics
toward the approving crowd.
Tricky’s music was mesmerizing; it flowed freely through
frequent tempo changes. Starting with a soft, slow beat, Tricky
cranked up the volume and broke loose on the heavy metal/trip-hop
noise, then descended back to the slow beat for a handful of his
best songs.
Tricky contrasted musical elements by mixing prerecorded
trip-hop samples with live industrial rock. His rough hisses and
Martine’s smooth girlish vocals blended well together.
Tricky aimed toward a raw, improvisational performance rather
than the placid, subtle style found on his records. For example,
Tricky extended "Vent" well beyond its original play time and
included heavy guitar and drum accompaniment to the chorus,
creating a loud and crashing tune from an otherwise soft track.
Besides variations on recorded tracks, Tricky performed a few
experimental songs short on lyrics and heavy on pleasingly dark
loops and distortion.
The concert played out like an intricately layered story with a
beginning, climax and conclusion. Songs that started the concert
set up the mood and tempo with brooding, static rhythms interrupted
by long spurts of industrial melodies.
This was a build-up to the best moment of the night, a dramatic
execution of Public Enemy’s "Black Steel." Martine cooed the lyrics
with a scornful baby voice while enormous guitar riffs and
relentless percussion powered the song. Far and away the best
performance of the show, the fans responded enthusiastically with
the largest ovation of the night, leading even the usually shy
Martine to softly utter, "Thank you."
The remainder of the concert was used as a cool-down, moving
further into the pessimistic realm of "Pre-Millennium Tension."
Surprisingly, Tricky left harmony-rich songs (and audience
favorites) like "Brand New Your Retro" and "Tricky Kid" off the
play list.
Tricky performed in a spastic trance  he growled his
lyrics while shaking violently and swinging his head into a black
blur. He didn’t sing the songs; he spat out the lyrics in an
aggressive flurry of emotion. As good as he was, Martine was even
better. She balanced his sandpaper vocals with her smooth, smoky
delivery.
The two worked off each other wonderfully, like two opposing
forces melding as one explosive voice. Her soft, musical vocals
added a sense of order and control to the otherwise chaotic songs
of Tricky. On the duets, they battled vocally; he punctured the
audience’s calm with savage, jagged raps and she healed the wounds
with her gentle, soothing voice.
Visually, Tricky blanketed the entire theater in complete
darkness. An occasional blue or green light illuminated Martine’s
pale features. But the light never hit Tricky himself.
The stage effect, coupled with Tricky’s preference for the
darker material of "Pre-Millennium Tension," ushered the audience
into his world of hopelessness. A brilliant and masterful show, it
served to re-affirm Tricky’s unwilling but well-deserved status as
king of the slow beat.
CONCERT: Tricky played at the El Rey theater on Saturday
night.
Tricky, the master of trip-hop.