Shabazz Palaces Gives Us A Glimpse
May 7th, 2010
Since nobody in this town has quite shot their load yet* writing about the Central District’s new favorite shrouded son, Shabazz Palaces, it’s nice to see a national medium cranking up the spotlight. Pitchfork recently interviewed the hermetic Palaceer Lazaro, aka Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, and it’s a quality read. Some choice quotes:
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“We all feel, that this new era, this contentual era– where content drives information– is not interesting. It’s not unique. None of the questions that are usually asked are very revealing.”
and also:
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“I just like the idea of earning a fan, a listener, an ear, a mood, a heart, rather than being placed in front of somebody with some sort of pre-determined outlook– for someone to either adapt or not adapt based on what has been pushed on the plate in front of them. It also serves to help us, longevity-wise, when you have a slow grind. You know everything you gained along the way belongs to you. It’s a genuine thing. It also allows us to be a little bit more concentrated, intimate with the people that dig us. We appreciate that slow roll.”
I know I haven’t written about Shabazz Palaces much at all, but I’ve had the double EP for several months now, and it’s pretty much one of the most solid hip-hop records I’ve ever heard. Granted, I’m a white kid from Capitol Hill so that claim might not mean much, but I listened to quite a bit o’ that shizznit back in the 90s when everyone else was doin’ the same. And, really, solid does the music little justice. It’s about as innovative and mystical as one could hope from any record, let alone one of the hip-hop breed. It ebbs and flows like most things, but ingeniously and non-directionally. It thumps with the deepest of bass and turns your neck into rubber. And it takes you on trippy travels with subliminal thought provocation. Anyhow, the last local band Pitchfork interviewed? Fleet Foxes. I’m just sayin’.
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If you haven’t peeped it yet, here’re my favorites, the mindfuck, too-clouded-to-be-conscious trifecta that closes Of Light:
n.splendored_find out (part 2)
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*that’s a wee bit of sarcasm for ya
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