Echaskech

Experiencing Echaskech play live will re-define your expectations of what an electronic act can achieve in a performance. Their unique style of melodic dance rhythms blend a spectrum of flavours from the warm chord progressions of Brian Eno and Urlich Shnauss to the filthy subs of Modeselektor, all strung together with in a seamlessly building set that is seductive and uplifting to the point of air punching euphoria. Their real-time mixing and structuring from sequenced parts has lead to a set often compared with the finest moments of Orbital live.
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With Dom Hoare and Andy Gillhams influences including The Autobots, The Prodigy, Booka Shade, Aphex Twin, Arovane and Vitalic it is not surprising that they are able to engage a crowd in almost any mood, they certainly have a lot of strings to their bow and as a result have universally broad appeal.
Their early influences include Kraftwerk's "Tour de France" and Street Sounds Electro 1-3. Hip Hop was heavily courted via early influences such as Big Daddy Kane, Jungle Brothers and the Beastie Boys and more recently Dub Step and Grime sounds of the UK and Germany.
Before Echaskech the duo had success as a Drum & Bass outfit touring clubs in the UK with the likes of Grooverider, Bukem and Storm. They even graced the DJ Drum & Bass charts with an early release!
Then, shifting rhythms and ever improving technology led the boys to DJ at various underground parties around London. The party sound of choice was a combination of breaks, techno and electro and it's this influence that provided the backbone of the music they produced separately and played out.
Then late 2004 they plugged their machines together, jammed those with tracks to produce a new 'live' sound that has totally changed their approach to writing and producing making the sound that is now Echaskech. Excited by this they decided to take their new live approach and play a long string of performances on stage throughout 2005 but with the addition of one last live element; video. Enter Mach V.
Mach V (a.k.a Mark van der Vord), regular supplier of visuals for the likes of The Big Chill and SoxaN, provides a unique visual element to each Echaskech track from a variety of visual sources. As this collaboration has developed over a rigorous live schedule, so has the technical integration between Andy, Dom and Marks computer set up, resulting in a fully coordinated Audio Visual experience.
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Their unique set up allows each of them, including the visualist Mach V, to genuinely improvise and structure their tunes live. In fact, they even write their tunes like this, jamming with loops, synths, vocoders, mics and projectors leading to a completely exclusive sound (and spectacle) that few electronic bands can match. Stripping all of their tunes down to their component parts means that every performance is spontaneous and different and now after two years of gigging and relentless rehearsing Echaskech are an effortlessly flowing unit.
This live approach, although difficult to execute marks them out as very special and results in a compelling and irresistable show chock full of never to be repeated moments of live excellence, every time.
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Dom and Andy currently live in East London. Mach V in Brixton. Current listening includes: Sigur Ros, Sereena Maneesh, Marsen Jules, Deaf Centre, Nathan Fake, Modeselektor, Boc Scadet, Isan, AFX, Sickoakes, Biosphere, Cocteau Twins, Louderbach, Hexstatic, Soul of man, Evil Nine, The Autobots, Ecce, Lali Puna, Jon Hopkins, The Prodigy, Lee Coombes, Fink, Jon Kennedy, Brian Eno, Thom Yorke...
View the video for "String Break" here
View the video for "A Slow Day" here
Get this video and more at MySpace.com