Bass Clef @ The Caves, 24 Apr

Ralph Cumbers likes to blow his own trumpet. Not in a self-aggrandising way, you understand. The figurative interpretation, in this instance, does Bass Clef a disservice. His spontaneous fits of freeform jazz are merely a signature trait of his effervescent live shows; a beguiling fusion of dubstep and dancehall, with the merest touch of spacious DFAesque rhythms to lift Cumbers’ eclectic soundscapes above the oppressive, subterranean dank more typical of his London contemporaries. Moreover, Bass Clef’s wandering hands extent not only to his beloved brass. As the multitude of Youtube footage attests, he’s not averse to accompanying his beats with the blow of a whistle or the slap of a cowbell either. Catch him at Stereo in Glasgow on 23 April, The Caves in Edinburgh on 24 April and volunteer your skull should you feel the urge to bequeath yourself to his percussive impulses.

The Skinny