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Live Review: BV are the masters of the mutant groove on "B2V" mixtape

23 November 2016 | 7:50 am | Lloyd Crackett

BV2, BV’s recently released mixtape is an adventure into what can dominate a dance floor, from producers Marcus Whale, Jarred Beeler and Lavurn Lee.

B2V, BV’s recently released mixtape has been a long time coming. Three years since their last full-length release and three singles ensnaring the internet in the lead up, BV have finally delivered and the wait was worth it. B2V is an adventure into what can dominate a dance floor, nothing is straightforward and every beat begs you to think, feel and move.

BV started as a ‘live only’ concept between producers Marcus Whale, Jarred Beeler and Lavurn Lee yet their collective talents couldn’t be contained to just the club. B2V has staying power; repeat listens only reveal how rich the production is. BV have evolved into the masters of the mutant groove.

'Plakate' is a highlight track, with a sinister momentum created between the hollow sounding percussion and alien-like bass. It’s BV’s ability to use familiar elements in their production in unsettling and creative ways that make their music uncanny and absolutely their own. ‘135DOINGIT’ is another highlight, Marcus Whale’s visceral chants midway through are underpinned with a heavenly chorus of "You are on my side now," which comes across as a tender touch in what is largely an aggressive mixtape.

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‘Mouth’, a sensual yet eerie tune is described by the group as “another track about having some extremely gay sex and celebrating its intoxicating qualities.” The queer themes throughout the entire mixtape are important to note, with '135DOING IT' described as “a Big fuck you to my (Marcus Whale’s) entire youth of trying to assimilate into straight male culture.” The mixtape puts important focus on not only breaking out of the stagnant club genre but smashing the idea that there are clear cut boundaries to anything, to a night, a life or a person. The focus outside of tradition, both genre and social is important – it is exactly what BV are about: they want you to have a moment of honesty, a moment to consider why you’ve always moved with the norms, lived and danced.

B2V is a visceral moment, it’s full of clangs, severe bass and rapid changes that you’ll lose yourself in. But it isn’t scary, it’s just honest. It’s a self-described gift from BV and it can only be listened to as such. It's a gift given with three years of thought, careful deliberation and an open mind.

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