Emerson Struggles to Stay in the Groove

During his many years with the British band Underworld, DJ Darren Emerson played a part in arguably the most memorable bass line in electronic music--the pulsating “Born Slippy,” a song made famous by its use in “Trainspotting”--and helped elevate the group to its status as one of the top live acts in the genre. So there’s no question that Emerson has the skills to be a world-class DJ in his own right. However, his two-hour set at Vynyl on Thursday did little to make his case.

For at least the first half-hour, and most of the first hour, Emerson seemed distracted as he talked to people behind him, looked for records and danced around the stage. Arguably the most skilled DJ on the scene at playing to an audience (a trait certainly enhanced by performing at Underworld concerts), he finally warmed up during the second hour, at which point he kicked the showmanship into overdrive with an abundance of finger-wagging and jumping.

His musical selection was also inconsistent. There were a few high points in the form of strong, percussive grooves, dance-y house tunes and a brief techno mix. But the pacing got monotonous and never created that one lengthy mix or segue that totally absorbed the audience.

Everybody has an occasional off night, but for Emerson to reach the upper echelon of the DJ scene, he needs to be more consistent than he showed at this gig.