Double Talk 3 festival

Double Talk 3 festival promised to be a smash success. Highlight of the show was Freddie Foxxx. But he didn't show up. Murth The-the-man-o-script: "Here's something strange. The story goes that he didn't miss his plane. He was on it. But he never arrived?!" That was one of the reasons it was not very crowded. And the people that still came were pissed and showed their disappointment by booing when the host mentioned his name. "Freddie Foxxx the loudest. Guess cowered when it was time to proof his two extra x's in the Tripple X?!" one of his disappointed and critical fans said. (XXX is the official city symbol of Amsterdam, ed.)

A festival always takes some time. Lot of reasons to get it cosy. But when it's all in the same venue and you can't really take a walk, it's quickly getting too long. All performed well, but also very long shows. Except Rowdy, he left on the climax of his show.

Righteous Cartel started the evening. These two brothers promoted their new cd and had the hard job to get a not filled up venue warm. Check their album on the web: www.catchafire.com/digital/righteouscartel.

Salena Silva brought some totally new music. Backed up by synthesizer she dropped here lyrics singing and rapping. In September she will drop her album of her movement 'Word Domination'. Eargasms by Mike Ladd and DJ Fred Ones performed with live turntable and drum machine techniques. Mike Ladd playing the drum machine himself.

Spookrijders did broadcast their new material in the small hall with a hyped show. Clyde going totally crazy just like his audience. The new material left mixed emotions. One thought it was 'slamming' and one other was disappointed.

The most satisfaction was to see, at last, Rowdy. After a long time off stage, people even wondered if the un-crowned king of the Tripple X was still in Amsterdam. Echo's out of the concrete jungle's Ghetto Child are no longer echo's. Yep, Rowdy's back and performed in the big venue. Rowdy: "I even had to fight my spot. They wanted to put me in the small hall. Hey, you know me." In the past, together with Cane, he represented the top notch of the Triple X Soldiers. Ready to take every rapper out who disrespected Amsterdam with a wack show. But he disappeared for a couple of years. Could he still rock the crowd together with his soul mate and partner in rhyme Radical? "Staying together with the brothers he survived with." They proved they could. Hopefully he's back to take his throne. Interview will follow here in ART12.

La Veda and Bastiany slowed down the mood with keyboards, bass and a great voice together with damn good skills. Dropping soul for your body. It was a performance to sit down, take a chair and table. Have some wine or brandy with candlelight and relax with. Only bad thing: no chairs or tables. Check them out.

"Makes me want to do my thing/makes me want to sing"

Wizdom Life took the stage with a big ass backpack. Made the audience wondering why? Together with his partner Shawn J. Period kicking it relaxed laid back. From the start interacting with the audience. Noticing they had some strong inner power. They called it the power of the lord Jesus. But without being a boring preacher. Get at him: shawnjperiod@hotmail.com.

The only one that had the sound almost totally clear was Mrs. Bahamadia backed up by DJ Crossfader. Bringing the tightest show of the evening. But without moving or fancy dressed. Like she pointed out: "It's about my music. Not about how I look or my image." Damn right, she's the wrong mother to fuck with. Dropping massive beats, lyrics with a tight flow.

Last one coming up was Camp Lo. Their DJ dropped the longest intro and break we ever seen. Quick spinning a lot of famous beats and hyping up the crowd. Dressed up like..., well like Camp Lo. It was good to see that the DJ really interacted with the show. And proved his skills. Only the rappers were a little bit too less active. According to a fan: "It's the Amsterdam syndrome. They had too much of the 'good' stuff." In other words: they smoked too much.

I spotted a conversation between LTH and AQ.
LTH: "The sound was terrible. The monitors hardly working. So if you stood in front you hardly couldn't hear anything. The artists couldn't even hear them self proper."
AQ: "Standing in the crowd the sound was also wack."
LTH: "Only with Bahamadia the sound was clear. She had everything in order."
AQ: "Yep, but only too loud. Even at the bar it was painful to listen to her, just too damn loud. They can't even get the lights correct. Always coming from the top or the back. With not enough light in the face and I'm using 3200 ISO films."
LTH: "Wow, so you can make a picture of a black cat in the shadow?"
AQ: "Almost, but can't make no good picture of a black man without a flash in Paradiso."
LTH: "Why was nobody taking care of it?"
AQ: "Think they don't know. Because light and sound is always fucked up in this place."
LTH: "True. Bad sound and..."
AQ: "...fucked up light?"
LTH & AQ: "The Paradiso way!"

Hopefully Paradiso will at last take care of their sound and light system and skip the VJ. Because what is the purpose to take the audience attention away from the artists while they are performing? If the artist is performing it's about the artist. And not about what's happening on the big screen above him.

Gunshots at Double Talk!? Well some people thought they heard gunshots at the central hall in Paradiso. AQ even ducked down. AQ: "As reaction you hit the floor. Look for cover. First think that I came up with was 'where's my camera?'. Getting action pictures. But it was only a mobile bar that fell over. It was funny but it scared me to death." The promoter Emerald Beryl with a big smile: "Yes, I know."

Coming up soon an interview with the promoter of Double Talk Emerald Beryl.

Shanice