A bit of a diversion from the usual posting faire, I had the privilege of catching the Syracuse stop of DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist's Renegades of Rhythm tour from the other side of the security gate (for the first 10 minutes, anyway, then a bunch from the back). 80% performance and 20% history lesson, the set featured selections from Afrika Bambaataa's own vinyl collection (current in the process of digitization at Cornell Library, where hip hop's Amen Ra currently graces the campus as a Visiting Scholar).
The extra-special access provided through arrangement between the performers and Gregory Allis of, among other things, Live High Five. From Greg's post of the event at livehighfive.com:
DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist brought their touring ethnomusicology lesson to a respectable and excited crowd on a cold Tuesday in Syracuse, NY a few weeks back. After catching the show in Austin during the tour's first leg, it was pretty much mandatory to follow up with a second helping of tunes cultivated from Afrika Bambaataa's personal stash. It isn't often that the longtime friends pair up and bring their skills on the road, but it's always a spectacle when they do!
A few things need to be said: 1) Hip Hop = DJ's, MC's, Breakdancing, and Graffiti, 2) DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist incorporated all those elements into the performance and tour, 3) Afrika Bambaataa deserves every ounce of recognition he has coming to him, and 4) the beginning of Boogie Down Production's "South Bronx" is one of the hardest things on Earth.
Gallery below:
For the full set, off to flickr -> flickr.com/photos/somewhereville/sets/72157649174784268/