Mista Trick: Steppin’ Out at The Portland Arms, Cambridge

It was an insanely catchy drum and bass remix of Fred Astaire’s Steppin’ Out with My Baby that first put Bristol-based swing and bass DJ and producer Mista Trick (aka Richard Hale) on my radar a few years ago – and now he and his rather large collective are coming to Cambridge.

The various members of said ensemble will be filling the stage at The Portland Arms next week as they bring their vintage, vaudeville vibes, mixed with distinctly down-and-dirty drum and bass, to the city.

Mista Trick notes that the band play Steppin’ Out in their live show. “It seems to go off really well,” he says, “I think partly because the brassline’s really clear – I love the brass on drums on that song. The song is really old – old in the sense of the original and my remix – and it still works.”

A style of music known as electro swing, which involves classic tunes from a bygone age being given the electronic dance treatment, seemed to be extremely popular for a while – and is still very much out there.

“For me, electro swing definitely had its heyday – I was never really part of that scene,” says Mista Trick, who actually has a background in musical theatre.

“I was just doing my own little thing; it wasn’t electro European house stuff, it was always a bit more British, a bit more drum and bass.”

Early on in his career, Mista Trick was invited up on stage by Elle and the Pocket Belles, purveyors of vintage swing combined with modern-day pop, and subsequently went on tour with them.

“The fourth show we did was Glade stage, Glastonbury,” he recalls, “and I was like, ‘What?!’ They were like, ‘Can you do more? Can you do an hour’s set?’ and I think by that time I’d only done two songs – Get Down Tonight and Swingin’ Together – so I had to just quickly make loads and loads of remixes of the Andrews Sisters and similar songs.

“Then we did the Glade stage, four shows to about 3,000 people, and I couldn’t stand still. I couldn’t just stand behind the decks; I was jumping around, hyping everyone up, and it was electric. It was a massive, life-changing moment for me.”

He adds: “We played after Cassette Boy, who does a set there every year, so that kind of had half the audience already there. Then by the time we finished, it was just rammed. We then went on and did a European tour and I was just like, ‘Well, this is me now’.”

On what the Cambridge crowd can expect, Mista Trick says: “We are doing I think an hour-and-a bit show, we’ve got support from Release The Chimps, who I know are a local act. They’re like a funk-hop act that do a bit of covers and a bit of originals, which is quite similar to how we do our show.

“We perform tracks from the new album, You, and we will be doing a few, as I said, remixes of my own, like Steppin’ Out, Cry Me a River, some of the songs that have done really well on my Soundcloud, as well as some songs that have been released on Spearhead Records, which is In the Red.

“We’re also doing Smile, which is one of my big hits that’s just passed three million plays on YouTube, and we’re set to release that officially in four weeks’ time with Lottie Jones on the vocals instead of Lily Allen obviously!

“I think Cambridge is going to be good, I’ve got a good feeling about it. Tickets are doing all right so can’t complain.”

The Mista Trick Collective – a high-energy, seven-piece band – will be performing at The Portland Arms on Friday, March 17. Tickets are priced £10.80 (early bird), £16.20 (advance) and £20 (door). Visit theportlandarms.co.uk.

For more on Mista Trick, go to mistatrick.com or search for Mista Trick on Facebook.