Dizraeli’s Joy Machine
Jericho Tavern, Oxford 

KNOWN for his masterly blend of rap with English folk — most notably on the album Engurland: City Shanties — Dizraeli opens today’s set with an acapella singalong of that album’s anthemic Take Me Dancing, a fitting way to start a set that is all about connection. 

After that, though, we’re off somewhere entirely new. A Love for the Rain, opening track of new LP Joy Machine (released May 31) is a shimmering triptych of spoken word, free jazz and roof-raising, butt-shaking funk. The drums kick in like a shamanic calling up of the spirits, echoed by Dizraeli’s literal calling up of “freaks to the front.” We oblige willingly. 

Dizraeli has been open about his struggles with depression. And tonight his call to “soak up the rain when it comes” reminds me of Emily Tammam’s wise words on how grief, through its contrast with beauty and joy, heightens them both.

When you finally accept that life is suffering and stop trying to drive that truth from your heart, every joy is a miracle. And Dizraeli and his band certainly know how to bring the joy.

The lyrics manage to flit between an enraptured reverence and a rollicking irreverence, always aimed in the right directions, along with the occasional dose of fearful bewilderment that any honest lyricist on Earth today must surely articulate. 

This is musical poetry, firmly in the tradition of luminaries such as Linton Kwesi Johnson and Saul Williams, with the music itself free to be anything the lyrics evoke at any particular moment, combining elements of hiphop, electronica, ambient and whatever else the party calls for. 

The rhythm section is incredible, and have mastered that irresistibly funky feel that somehow manages to be both laidback and super-disciplined at the same time.

The drums operate mostly at the interface between jazz and jungle, as if the drummer from Can had joined Roni Size’s band, while the bass is often just behind the beat with delicious effect, one minute bubbling along like Massive Attack’s Safe From Harm, the next slow and slinky like your favourite old school hiphop. 

While the subject matter can be deeply serious, there is nevertheless a great deal of playfulness among all the musicians. Dizraeli himself is clearly enjoying following his highly versatile voice anywhere it feels like going, with crooned choruses following whispered, husky verses, while the band frequently play around with timings: jungle waltz anyone? Yes the fuck please! 

The most original and exciting live show I have seen for some time, Joy Machine bring the party and the catharsis and the love all at once. My friend grabs my notebook and sums it up nicely “Massive sound, moon masters, sexy motherfuckers.” 

Exactly the music we need for our times.

For more information see: dizraeli.com.