Hang Massive

When I first started broadcasting #electronicears on Indigo FM, I mostly plundered my existing library of music for music to play but within a few weeks I started to feel self-conscious about falling back on the same bands each week and I was aware that I wasn't including much new music. This encouraged me to go out and find more contemporary artists and recently released tracks. And I really liked that.

In the year or so between Indigo closing and my show being picked up by Cando FM, I found that I listened to less new music: the incentive to go out and find it was gone and it was too easy to listen to music that I already knew and liked. 

And once I was back broadcasting again, I found myself back in the enjoyable habit of looking out for new tracks to play and among many other happy discoveries, this year I came across Hang Massive. I liked them immediately. The sound of the hang drums is beautiful and I love how they weave it into what is essentially an electronic dance vibe. 

A few weeks ago I was delighted to discover that they were touring and playing at what is probably my favourite venue in Manchester, Academy 3. The Minx and I went along this evening and they did not disappoint. I had been mildly worried that it might be a a bit samey after a bit but actually the set was varied and never boring. 

Given the nature of their music and the fact that they met in Goa, I always suspected that they'd be a bit, well, hippy, which was in fact the case but towards the end the chap on the left in the picture, Danny Cudd, spoke for a couple of minutes and turned out to be eloquent and cogent on the subject of the need for global change. 

(In different times, I guess it might have seemed like a bit of harmless idealism but this evening it seemed like a much needed call for action, which left me feeling a bit sad as it feels so futile.)

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I forgot to say that I finished reading Margaret Atwood's 'The Testaments', yesterday, which I enjoyed enormously. In fact, it's one of the best books I've ever read. It's many years since I've read 'The Handmaid's Tale' but, comparing from memory, this seemed a little more fast-paced. (Maybe like the difference between 'Alien' and 'Aliens'!) Plus, she's done a brilliant job of incorporating the story from the TV adaptation and. subsequent series into the history of this new book. Would recommend!