From Oblique Hostility Sent Sun, Jan 25th 1998, 01:26
From Oblique Hostility Sent Sun, Jan 25th 1998, 01:26
Perhaps off-topic but I don't give a fuck. Me and the Beats and Rhymes crew drove 3 hrs to Macomb IL (!) to see the X-ecutioners spin live. And all I can say is what the MC had us chanting after they played, "OH SHIT!" Very rarely do you get to see stone cold virtuosos at the top of their form, but the X-ecutioners went OFF. They started their set on 8 turntables, and then took turns doing their solo moves. They have a bunch of battle DJ tricks they play (scratching over their shoulders with their backs turned, whipping the crossfader with their noses, etc) but in the end what mattered is the amazing SOUND that came out of the speakers. This was deep, funky, fucked up MUSIC that the actual records played had very little to do with. When you could recognize something, it was an intentional 'quote' -- one set based on James Brown records had a rhythmic figure throughout it made from the word "brown" scratched repeatedly. Even better, each of the crew has a distinctive personality. Rob Swift (who looks a little like Jeff Mills to me) is very calm and absorbed in his mixing. Roc Raider is very intense, and can scratch up beats like no other. Total Eclipse is a large guy, who plays to the crowd with his goofy nonchalance. And Mr. Sinister is a pure space alien -- no lie. He licks his fingers between scratches, bounces around spastically, and mixes while looking off into the distance with a thousand-yard stare. Also performing was Rayzelle (spelling?) of the Roots crew, who did an insane set of human beat boxing. He did ALL the parts at once for "Computer Love." If you won't pay to see that, you might as well shoot yourself and get it over with. Common headlined. He's gotten some good press for his last album, but after the X-Men, Common was JUST hip hop, even with a whole band, and Mr. Sinister on the decks. We didn't stay for his whole set, since we had a 3 hr drive home on icey roads. Our crew snapped up the mix tapes they were selling as well, and while Rob Swift's has some stuff that's already on the X-ecutioners CD, it's still some deep shit. And the tape I got, Roc Raider's "living in the past" is a purely amazing journey through the real old school -- back to Sugarhill records material, early breakdancing stuff, old rare groove. He even includes a prop from DJ Cool Herc, who proclaims Roc Raider a Grandmaster. So be watching for these boys -- I think they're in Kansas City in the next day or so. You won't believe your eyes, and you won't believe your ears. And Rob Swift, Mr. Sinister, Total Eclipse and Roc Raider will be your new heroes in life. --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Psyche manifests as psychic through something we call 'winding', because it twists, and puts things that were far apart next to each other, complicatedly, taffywise." -- winona on channel 78 Kent Williams xxxx@xxxx.xxx -- http://soli.inav.net/~kent