Five For The Funk: Joy Orbison and Boddika Nightvision

Photo: Joy Orbison

This Saturday sees Swamp 81 mainstays Boddika and Joy Orbison descend on Edinburgh's Liquid Room for the latest in the superb Nightvision series. Alongside Levon Vincent, the techno and bass overlords will be supplying a heady concoction of dance floor fodder, leaning towards darker recesses for the more decadent raver.

Boddika as one half of Instra:mental has been for the past 14 years delivering everything from tech heavy drum&bass to tough and uncompromising techno, whilst Joy O burst onto the scene much later with a string of soulful, bass heavy records that sat at the forefront the post dubstep movement.

Since joining forces back in 2011, the pair have been responsible for not just one, but many gritty underground anthems, showcasing both sides of their creative leanings and striking a balance that has yielded monumental results. Ahead of their appearance at Nightvision this weekend, we thought we'd revisit some of our favourite Joy O and Boddika joints.

Dun Dun

Released in 2012 , Dun Dun was the second release on Boddika and Joy O's vinyl only SunkLo imprint. 'Dun Dun' probably shows off most clearly which producer is responsible for each segment - the delicious, ambient chords at the start and trademark vocal snippets have Joy O written all over them, whilst the thunderous kick drums and clattering percussion is straight up Boddika.

It's a shining example of the way the duos sounds come together to create one cohesive whole, but more importantly, it's an absolute beast on the dancefloor.

Mercy (Boddika's VIP)

You might remember the campaign to get this grizzly refix to Christmas number one last year, and what a wonderful thing that would have been. Boddika puts the finishing touches to this blinder from the pair, and roughs it up in much the same manner as Ed Norton does Jared Leto's face in David Fincher's Fight Club.

The track is an overt exercise in tension, with a spluttering synth stab manipulated to breaking point over the top of a seriously chunky kick drum. There's no surprise that this one was as big as it was.

Faint (with Pearson Sound)

For this one, Joy O and Boddika were joint by Hessle Audio's Pearson Sound, bringing a dusty, analogue touch to a twisted, drugged up vocal that swirls around Pearson Sound's signature drum patterns. The heaving synths and mighty bass drums result in one of the duo's more experimental outings, ending with a rush of white noise that swallows the track up with devastating glee. 

&Fate

Another from the NonPlus Think & Change series, '&Fate' sees the double team go all out with an extended intro and light garage beat below a treated, manipulated vocal, before the track falls away, introducing a bubbling acid line that rumbles underneath.

When everything comes together at around the three minute mark, an absolute monster is born. It's a brilliant combination of garage, acid and techno, dispatched with complete mastery by a pairing at the top of their game. Perhaps their finest work to date.

Swims

Well we couldn't exactly go without mentioning this track could we? Undoubtedly one the most anticipated records of 2011 thanks to a heftily delayed release from Swamp 81, 'Swims' finally landed in 2012, and became one of the duos most ubiquitous hits.

The strange thing is that for a track that has been caned by every DJ worth their salt, it still sounds as fresh as ever thanks to its rugged production and unusual tangents that keep things exciting right up until the end. This record hailed the beginning of a beautiful partnership, and one that continues to deliver the goods.

Catch Joy Orbison, Boddika and Levon Vincent at Nightvision on Saturday. Get your Nightvision tickets here. 

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