Kyteman
(and his hip hop orchestra)
Tivoli, Utrecht
Kyteman and his hip hop orchestra. It’s something so special it deserves to be repeated again – Kyteman and his hip hop orchestra. One insanely gifted trumpeter and composer who commands attention on his own, let alone when he gives his artistic vision full range and is accompanied by a string quartet, brass section, keys, drums, percussion and a raft of MCs.
The result was a mix of hip hop, big band, jazz and classical music that was simply stunning and confirmed beyond any doubt Kyteman’s status as the next major musical talent to come out of the Netherlands.
What happened as soon as the curtain was pulled back was simply magical. At the heart of everything, whether he was blessing a track with his trumpet or conducting the rest of the orchestra (or doing both simultaneously) was Kyteman. As a musician he has the invaluable ability of being able to mutate his sound into any genre, whilst stamping his personality all over the track.
He can create industrial hip hop, as he did with Unorthadox for IT Circus, and balance an addictive horn line with the dirtiest of drums, he can do blues (No More Singing The Blues), he can do tear-jerking (Sorry), he can do bleak (City is Burning). We could go on all night. But what makes Kyteman remarkable, and dare I say unique, is his orchestra. It’s not just a gimmick either – the size of his musical ambition requires it. And the 16 strong version we saw tonight is just a miniature, as apparently he wants even more. To control this is amazing. To witness it, inspiring.
Everyone’s eyes, in the crowd and onstage, were on the human whirlwind as he conjured storming tune after storming tune. He only finished when there was nothing left to play, but even then he sated the baying crowd with a jam that left no one in any doubt to his (and his orchestra’s) talent.
What was truly wonderful was the way that everyone pulled together to make it work – one minute a MC was centre stage, the next he was singing back up as someone else took their turn in the spotlight. But it was all about the man in the tophat with the golden trumpet. His album drops next year before he embarks on a national tour. He’s going to blow up big time.
See for yourself below:
Sorry
No More Singing The Blues
Til next year, keep in touch on his myspace: http://www.myspace.com/kyteman