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Music

Luke Vibert Nails it with Wagon Christ

WAGON CHRIST at the Reverb (651 Queen West), Friday (May 11). $13.50. 416-504-0744.

Rating: NNNNN


Check out what Luke Vibert is cramming into his record boxes for his current North American tour.

“I’ve only started packing for this trip,” the well-bearded DJ/producer laughs from London, “but so far I’ve got funk, hiphop, electro, rave, breakbeat, two-step, drum ‘n’ bass and a load of my own records.”

Vibert’s own tracks sound like all of those other styles melted down. The DJ recently followed the success of last year’s collaboration with pedal steel player BJ Cole with Musipal, another collection of sample-stacked, hiphop-inspired breakbeats.

Split between new pieces and Vibert’s deep archive of unused tracks, the disc puts a bit of humour into what’s often a deadly-serious genre. Released under the name Wagon Christ, it also continues Vibert’s pattern of switching between aliases from record to record.

“The name selection’s all quite boring and easy,” he explains. “It’s usually a record label thing. I never actually wanted to do stuff under my name, but I agreed to do it for Mo’ Wax because I wanted a record out on that label.

“There isn’t really one thing or another that defines the different projects. The Plug project is me in a drum ‘n’ bass frame of mind, but even that slips around a bit from one sound to the next.”

Fans have gotten wise to the name-switching, and Vibert never obscures who’s really pulling the strings from record to record. Still, operating with a handful of different aliases doesn’t make the lives of Vibert’s live-music promoters any easier.

“I don’t really care what name I’m billed under,” he insists. “I’m a fairly moody guy, so even if you’re supposed to get a Wagon Christ set you never really know who’s going to show up until the day.

“I’ve arrived at places and been told it’s a drum ‘n’ bass or house club when all I’ve got is hiphop. Kids occasionally get upset, but usually I can get away with anything.”

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