Music / Clubs
Preview: A Guy Called Gerald
One of the kings of British dance music is in town this month for a great looking party at Lakota. A Guy Called Gerald is best known for his 1989 smash Voodoo Ray but his influence can be heard in everything from techno to drum and bass.
Gerald Simpson grew up on Manchester’s Moss Side and was a founder member of 808 State, co-writing their seminal album Newbuild and crossover anthem Pacific State. Voodoo Ray – his first release as A Guy Called Gerald – spread like a virus from the Hacienda to the UK Top Twenty, becoming one of the biggest hits of the acid house era.
For his next trick, Simpson arguably invented drum & bass. 1992’s 28 Gun Bad Boy was the first album to showcase the emerging jungle sound, while 1995’s Black Secret Technology is rivalled only by Goldie’s Timeless as the genre’s most critically acclaimed long-player. A few years of diminishing returns followed, only for Gerald to re-emerge with a compellingly raw 4/4 sound on 2006’s outstanding Proto-Acid: The Berlin Sessions.
That’s the direction he’s expected to take on June 6 as he headlines the main room at Parallel Dimensions’ first birthday session. Supports include New York house veteran Victor Simonelli, fast-rising Bristol production duo Bakkos and the DJs from clubbing institutions Empathy and Werk.
Bristol Summer Party: Parallel Dimensions 1st Birthday is at Lakota on Saturday, June 6. Facebook event here.
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