30,000 miles hiiiiigh...
After a long break from concerts I finally got out to one last night. The dying remnants of Hurricane Jeane were soaking the city, but I sloshed through the rain with maur and some Albany friends to catch DJ Krush of Japan featuring Def Jux' finest Aesop Rock and Mr.Lif along with various live Japanese musicians, @ B.B. King Blues Club in Times Square.
I'd only heard some beats DJ Krush did for emcees, but never his own music. He began with some slow & hypnotic material, which is what I guess the Village Voice critic had called 'zen-hop'. Over his work on the tables an older Japanese man was playing a flute they called a bamboo root (Shakuhachi). It sounds very surreal and mysterious, like music they would play during a windy storm scene in a samurai flick. That was OK for chilling out and appropriate what with the weather outside. Still I was glad when the flutist finally took his bow and DJ Krush picked up the tempo and got into some hip-hop sounds. A Japanese pianist came out, and now the beats & scratching from the turntables and the crazy great dissonant piano playing combined for a hyper-jazzy effect. That went on for a few numbers and really got the crowd going. Aesop and Lif took the stage around this point. They only did about 5 songs though, two of them new, + a freestyle session after it. Those two rocked it just like the other times I've seen them live, but I thought they were getting their own set, not just coming out to support Krush for 20 teasing minutes!
Next DJ Krush brought out Akira Sakata, an unassuming, spectacled middle-aged Japanese saxophonist rocking a traditional vest. The set became ridiculously good at this point. I've never seen anyone move their fingers that fast, it was hands down the best saxophone I've ever heard live. Then for one track Akira even started doing some tribal Japanese chanting. Krush meanwhile, had been taking the beats from jazzed out to drum & bassish to straight out jungle music to the reggaeish. The Japanese chanting took it back to the mysterious vibe from the part of the set with the bamboo flute, except an order of magnitude more soulful just like Akira's saxophone playing. Even I had to join in and let loose a few aaaaaakkkkirrrraiiaiaaiaaaa`s! This guy almost stole the show ... Krush took it back though, because after Akira's bows to much applause he broke out a highly fuzzy & distorted but funky remix of Lennon's 'Imagine'. It took everyone a few bars to recognize it, but when they did smiles many miles wide broke out.
So it was a good show at a very classy and warm venue. My only complaint was the length of the show. Aes and Lif should have done a whole set and brought out the other Jukies. And DJ Krush should have gone on much longer as well; he supposedly had other traditional Japanese musicians in tow, but despite being in NYC and in TIMES SQUARE they did not pull out all the stops.
Japanese people interpreting American music styles (and doing it superbly well) make me think of Will Gibson novels & Tokyo as New York as global gothams. I love it when shows are food for thought, when I feel like I caught some culture that was actually worthwhile and not just disposable distraction. Good company, good poisons, and unique weather completed the night. Overall good shit, I need to start doing this often again.
I'd only heard some beats DJ Krush did for emcees, but never his own music. He began with some slow & hypnotic material, which is what I guess the Village Voice critic had called 'zen-hop'. Over his work on the tables an older Japanese man was playing a flute they called a bamboo root (Shakuhachi). It sounds very surreal and mysterious, like music they would play during a windy storm scene in a samurai flick. That was OK for chilling out and appropriate what with the weather outside. Still I was glad when the flutist finally took his bow and DJ Krush picked up the tempo and got into some hip-hop sounds. A Japanese pianist came out, and now the beats & scratching from the turntables and the crazy great dissonant piano playing combined for a hyper-jazzy effect. That went on for a few numbers and really got the crowd going. Aesop and Lif took the stage around this point. They only did about 5 songs though, two of them new, + a freestyle session after it. Those two rocked it just like the other times I've seen them live, but I thought they were getting their own set, not just coming out to support Krush for 20 teasing minutes!
Next DJ Krush brought out Akira Sakata, an unassuming, spectacled middle-aged Japanese saxophonist rocking a traditional vest. The set became ridiculously good at this point. I've never seen anyone move their fingers that fast, it was hands down the best saxophone I've ever heard live. Then for one track Akira even started doing some tribal Japanese chanting. Krush meanwhile, had been taking the beats from jazzed out to drum & bassish to straight out jungle music to the reggaeish. The Japanese chanting took it back to the mysterious vibe from the part of the set with the bamboo flute, except an order of magnitude more soulful just like Akira's saxophone playing. Even I had to join in and let loose a few aaaaaakkkkirrrraiiaiaaiaaaa`s! This guy almost stole the show ... Krush took it back though, because after Akira's bows to much applause he broke out a highly fuzzy & distorted but funky remix of Lennon's 'Imagine'. It took everyone a few bars to recognize it, but when they did smiles many miles wide broke out.
So it was a good show at a very classy and warm venue. My only complaint was the length of the show. Aes and Lif should have done a whole set and brought out the other Jukies. And DJ Krush should have gone on much longer as well; he supposedly had other traditional Japanese musicians in tow, but despite being in NYC and in TIMES SQUARE they did not pull out all the stops.
Japanese people interpreting American music styles (and doing it superbly well) make me think of Will Gibson novels & Tokyo as New York as global gothams. I love it when shows are food for thought, when I feel like I caught some culture that was actually worthwhile and not just disposable distraction. Good company, good poisons, and unique weather completed the night. Overall good shit, I need to start doing this often again.