Photo courtesy Sub Pop
One of the fun aspects of popular music is that it often makes for strange bedfellows, and there are few better places to see that in action than a multi-stage venue like the Rave. Shuffling through the cattle call of security on a busy evening brings distinct subcultures shoulder to shoulder in a unique, if sometimes annoying, way, although Friday night the ratio was way off, with far too many people heading upstairs to catch aging pop-punkers The Offspring and only a trickle being directed into the bar area, where Sub Pop abstract rap duo Shabazz Palaces was putting on a far more enticing performance. But if Dexter Holland and company won out in terms of ticket sales, it’s hard to believe the small crowd assembled on the first floor was actually missing out.
Getting things started was Brooklyn two piece Eaters, made up of multi-instrumentalist Bob Jones and sound designer Jonathan Schenke, who despite coming from an indie-rock background chart some pretty heady electronic territory, combining synthesizers and guitars in an ethereal but still accessible way which should appeal to fans of Air and the like. While their music was interesting enough on its own, it was enhanced by their out-of-the-ordinary lighting rig that cleverly utilized a crystal ball rolling slowly around an illuminated circular track. They got a deservedly warm reception from the audience, which, while definitely on the small side—maybe cracking about 50 people at its very peak—clearly knew who they were there to see and were very excited about it, but welcomed Eaters as the unexpectedly enjoyable bonus that they were.
Coming onstage to the strains of Sun Ra’s “Space is the Place,” Shabazz Palaces, consisting of onetime Digable Planets member Ishmael Butler and accomplished percussionist Tendai “Baba” Maraire, quickly mesmerized the attentive crowd. Seamlessly stitching together songs from their latest full length, last year’s Lese Majesty, with selections from their singles and EPs, their set was fusion at its best, blurring the lines between rap, jazz, psychedelia and too many types of electronic music to identify individually. The result, cosmically Afrocentric and irresistibly rhythmic, made such an observable impression here that after their hour-long set the pair was practically dragged back out for an apparently unplanned, but equally impressive, encore. The Offspring may have had a better turnout by far, but Friday night the Rave’s side stage was obviously the place to be.
|
|
