Vinyl spinning is increasingly becoming a lost art in the DJ community. It’s a totally understandable trend given the ease and affordability of putting together a high-quality set with just a laptop and a controller, but there’s a certain romanticism that’s been lost along with the hisses and pops of the vinyl format. It’s for this reason that DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist’s Renegades of Rhythm tour was such a treat for dance music fans. An odyssey through decades of dancehall music, the set showcased both artists’ impressive skills behind the decks while celebrating both the history and craft of deejaying as a whole and one of its great luminaries.
The duo’s show was based around the collection of Afrika Bambaataa. The legendary Bronx native rose to prominence in the early 80s, popularizing the breakbeat genre and also championing the rise of hip hop into the urban fringe and later the mainstream. His contributions to hip hop as a whole are almost immeasurable, as is the cultural value of his record collection, which numbers over 40,000 pieces. Realizing the possibilities of such a grand and historic collection, an idea was born.
After an art curator contacted Shadow and Chemist to put together a mix honoring Bambaataa, the two instead decided to do a touring set using his original 45s. After spending days rifling through the immense collection in a storage locker, the two put together a series of records that not only made a cohesive set but also had a genre and decade-based progression. Breaking up the set to talk about the history of each, which included funk, disco and finally breakbeat, their own memories of the songs and their contribution to hip-hop, the guys made it feel like part show and part history lesson. I probably would have paid more attention in high school if it was anything like this.
Playing everything from George Clinton to Chic to even Yes, Shadow and Chemist wove a fabric that led the audience from the beginnings of each sound to its commercial explosion. Song choice was impeccable- they played a few big hits like James Brown’s “Get On Up” and Sugarhill Gang’s “Rapper’s Delight” but tended to focus more on tracks that exemplified the best qualities of their respective genres. While they often played extended grooves of songs to highlight the feel of a genre, most notably during the disco breakdown where the House of Blue’s disco ball was illuminated, they kept things rooted in hip hop through some awesome turntablism.
The level of craft here was pretty awe-inspiring. Shadow and Chemist had an incredible level of communication, avoiding any slip-ups during their veritable duet. Shadow took most of the mixing duties while Chemist showed off his absolutely spellbinding spinning skills. The level of tact and energy with which he tore apart tracks was impressive to watch, with even simple things like his ability to create a perfect extended loop calling back to the days of this being a true artist’s craft. Also of note was the fact that while it was great being able to see what these guys were doing, they were never showey about it. Unlike your typical bigroom house producer’s set where knobs will be twiddled to look cool rather than actually modulate a sound (crazy concept in this day and age, I know) you could almost immediately hear the effect of every tap, turn and scratch.
Despite the immense scope of the show, best exemplified by its visual accompaniment which featured cascading vinyls (all from Bambaataa’s collection, of course), CGI train rides and some purposely goofy dancing instructional videos, the show kept its heart in the old-school. The duo entranced the audience through grooves rather than drops, and they ate it up. While the show was far less attended than it should have been, with only about half of HOB’s floor filled, everyone there was having a great time, with the aging B-boys in attendance even throwing together impromptu break performances. Shadow himself encouraged this, getting the crowd to form a massive circle up front for the breakbeat finale.
Shadow and Chemist put together something truly special with this performance, celebrating a legend while putting their own distinct spin on the performance. Showing both an imaginative versatility and utter reverence for those that trailblazed their genre, the two made a performance that would feel equally at home in a Brooklyn basement and the MoMA. While I’m sure many fans would have preferred a more traditional DJ Shadow set, people with a solid background in hip-hop and dance music were in for an engrossing and unique performance unlike anything they’re likely to see again anytime soon.