Jaguar Skills – The mash-up doyenne. A staple of Radio1 Xtra, his mixes are legendary on Soundcloud and his identity a closely guarded secret. This is his Brighton debut, part of The Return of The Ninja tour.
Taking to the stage, eyes peeping through a black ninja mask (giving him a Fonejacker air), oversize headphones clamped to his head, he opens with his trademark ‘doo-do-do-dooo’ 80’s Thames Television ident sound before bowling in to an array of hip-hop samples, backed by some fierce D’n’B to really get the crowd moving.
Within 10 minutes, most of the males clamouring for position at the front of the stage are shirtless and sweat – throwing crazy shapes and roaring to each successive hook that Jaguar drops, whilst dry-ice billows and the lasers phase across the dancefloor.
He’s throwing some cartoonish moves himself though, repeatedly flipping the bird at the crowd who happily reciprocate in kind, pulling ‘gangta’ poses and shooting at the skies with finger guns à la Mike from ‘Spaced’.
Mash-up DJ’ing isn’t a new concept, but Jaguar takes it to a new level. In particular, it’s the sheer speed and breadth of samples that are thrown out, combined with the thunderous grime and dubstep underpinnings that have become his trademark.
There’s plenty here for the music and TV geek too, with snatches of Soft Cell, Sting, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Marioworld, The A-Team, House of Pain, Black Sheep, Chase & Status, KRS-One, Masters of the Universe, Daft Punk, Prodigy, Blur, Nirvana and even the Only Fools & Horses music.
With his time almost done, as a tribute to Nate Dogg, he plays Regulate in (almost) its entirety, making it all the more poignant given the frenetic pace of the previous two hours.
A waft at ‘Pass the Dutchie’, a hint of The Specials and he’s done. So the crowd stream out of the door, dazed and happy from the slick, bass heavy, deafening onslaught.
My ears are still ringing. A phat, fun, musical and cultural oddessy. And a darn good nights’ entertainment. You say Jaguar – I say skilled. Very talented indeed.
Jaguar Skills
Concorde 2
Friday 24th March
Words and Photos by Ed Isaacs
