The ninth configuration

>> Acid jazz new-schoolers Kobayashi turn on the red light

by RUPERT BOTTENBERG

Fans of The Usual Suspects will recognize the name, but adherents of the West Island rock 'n' ska scene will know the faces--albeit in a rather different context. For starters, for all of Kobayashi's nine members, there's no six-string to be heard.

"Let me just say right now," states co-founder/saxman Franco Proietti, "that I'm happy we have no guitar. First of all, because I can't stand the sound of distorted guitars--it seems like every guitar player has a distortion pedal on them at all times. Also, Evan [Melnyk, the other co-founder] was a guitar player in Doc Blinky, and it would be just too annoying for him to play with other guitarists."

So what's Melnyk's new instrument of choice? The decks, and a good choice it was. "Evan's scratching is very rhythmic," continues Proietti, "which is good to hear. Other DJs I've worked with have been very accomplished technically, but they weren't musicians. They didn't understand the concepts of rhythm and time. Evan is, and he's also conscious of tone--he'll adjust the pitch to be in key with the song."

Proietti defines the K-sound as "a fusion of hip hop, jazz and funk, with some worldbeat influences." Too focused for the jam-band category, Kobayashi's neo-acid-jazz takes many shapes nonetheless. "We try to balance it out," says tenorman Josh Gearey. "The last show we did, we tried to figure the set out so that we'd have a chill one and then come back with a more dancey one. I get a whole bunch of energy from people up front dancing, so I like the danceability factor."

That comes through even in mid-tempo tunes like "The Huxtables" (noticeably void of Cosby samples). "The classic," smiles Proietti, "one of the first we ever did. A lot of people tell us it's very catchy, that it's the one that gets stuck in their heads after a show. Doesn't matter that it's very simple, we haven't gotten tired of playing it yet."

"Redlight Special" meanwhile, brings it down to a stuporiffic crawl. "When we used to practice in my parents' basement, we had some little white Christmas lights and one red lightbulb on. We'd turn off the Christmas lights, and it'd be like we were sitting in an opium den or something. That's the chillest of our chill songs."

That stuff is perhaps better suited to the studio than the stage. Kobayashi have already taken a dry run at the recording process, and are planning further such episodes, as well as possible roadwork. No small feat for a nine-headed monster--the meltdown potential is right up there. "It's actually very democratic," notes Proietti, "considering the amount of people. In terms of songwriting, someone will bring something in and everyone else will write their own parts around it."

"It's very shocking that it actually works out like that," adds singer Emilie Marzinotto.

"Of course," shrugs Proietti in response, "it takes us two months to write a song."

At Swimming on Friday, May 18, 11pm, $5