Hip-hop shows can be quite hit and miss. Unfortunately, I’ve been to more bad shows than good shows, so when a good one comes along it’s hard to tell whether it’s only good insofar as it’s not as bad as something else. This weekend, I had the (mis)fortune of going to two shows, one bad, one good, but even without the other each show stood alone in its respective successes and failures.

On Friday I went to see DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist’s The Hard Sell show. Long sold out, I was lucky to get a ticket about an hour before the doors opened. The evening started well, with a great support slot from Kid Koala, a Canadian DJ whose skills are best demonstrated by this video.

The main event was, to say the least, a disappointment. On Thursday night I foolishly had a listen to the show’s CD, which, though quite indulgent and just a bit lacking in focus, was interesting, if nothing else. Unfortunately, that CD is exactly the same as the show I saw on Friday. The premise of The Hard Sell is that the two DJs are playing nothing but 7” records, which is more taxing due to the smaller size of the records. That’s all well and good, and it’s admirable that they’re trying to challenge themselves. They may as well have sat at home in their bedrooms doing it though, because it seemed that they were the only people getting any enjoyment out of it. “Welcome to The Hard Sell,” said Cut Chemist at one point, “the show where you’re not sure if you’re being educated or entertained.” If they had taken a little bit more time to focus on one or the other of these angles, the results could have been mesmeric, rather than just plain confusing.

Edan’s show last night, however, was mind-blowing. One of my biggest regrets of recent times is missing his show in Crawdaddy in October 2006, but thankfully this year I have the chance to see him twice (last night and next May at Primavera). He raps. He mixes. He raps and mixes - cutting and rhyming as he calls it. He dances. He plays guitar and kazoo. He plays theremin. When was the last time you saw a rapper perform with a theremin? How many rappers would you say even know what a theremin is?! Then there was his rendition of Rock and Roll (performed acappella, no less), during which his on stage cohort Dagha held up a pile of classic rock records, from LA Woman to Remain in Light, and even In The Court of The Crimson King, removing each one in time to complement the lyrics. I’ve gone in search of a Youtube to illustrate my point, but alas my search is in vain. It was pretty awesome anyway. The show was undoubtedly one of the best hip-hop performances I’ve ever seen, and it completely blew that of Shadow and Chemist so far out of the water I almost forget I was out Friday night. Until I see the rather gaping hole in my wallet that is…

Aidan Hanratty
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