Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop/Inertia)

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Shabazz Palaces – Black Up (Sub Pop)

In 2011, it makes perfect sense for Shabazz Palaces debut full-length album Black Up to be released on that bastion of flannel and grunge, Sub Pop. Granted, that’s definitely an out-dated paradigm, as the Seattle label has been broadening their roster for quite some time now; but when I think of Sub Pop, it’s still all about The Afghan Whigs, Tad and Nirvana. Their label is just one of the qualities that imbues the dense, funky yet cerebral vignettes of Shabazz Palaces with such potency. Led by Digable Planets refugee Palaceer Lazaro, Black Up updates the freewheeling spirit of early Anticon, Anti-Pop Consortium and a whole host of other Hip Hop Antidisestablishmentarianists to deliver an album that renews and reaffirms my faith in beats and rhymes in this post-everything diaspora.

I’ll start with the anthemic potential of “Recollections of the Wrath”, the looped female vocals detour into the slowest, snakiest joint since Schooly D was in short pants. Imagine De La Soul on Mogadon tapping into the black cosmic vibe of Sun Ra and Underground Resistance (with a touch of Mobb Deep thrown in). “Yeah You” throws the middle fingers up to corny niggers and industry kooks, set to a powerful jazz loop and electro impulses. In the slow motion boom bap of “An Echo From the Hosts That Profess Infinitum” I hear references of early rave, dubstep and African thumb pianos, topped off with lyrical prowess of the ilk of New Kingdom or Sensational. A personal favourite, “Youology” (and not simply because the title is easier to decipher from the CD sleeve) brings to mind the psychedelic hi-jinx of Beauty and the Beat era Edan, Anti-Pop Consortium and the cold world of El-P and the Def Jux camp. The manner in which the refrain “How fast do you want it?” is built into a stumbling, rambunctious cascade of bumping bass, trapped vocals, handclaps and space echo beggars belief. Give me this over teen angst or the blurred echolalia of a certain percentage of modern “indie” Hip Hop any day.

“Are you,Can You,Were You? (Felt)”, showcases producer Knife Knight’s (is this another non de plume of head Palaceer Ishmael Butler, I wonder?) eclectic sensibilities and uncanny ability to seamlessly meld multiple musical characters into one tune. A mud map would look something like this; starting out with a DJ Krush-esque head nodder that morphs into A Tribe Called Quest jauntiness, followed by Jazz-influenced stabs, rolling into a psychedelic synth-driven halo of light and finishing of with a Jel-style beat collage… Phew! Then the lyrics just top the whole glorious melange off; try “Even my milk is not white” or “I find the diamonds underneath the subtlest inflections” for size. Album closer “Swerve:The Reaping Of All That Is Worthwhile (Noir Not Withstanding)” is both insanely catchy and irrepressibly creative, revelling in the paradox of being both posturing and erotically soulful. It’s followed by a sort-of hidden track bringing Sesame Street rhymes and woodblock rhythms together for a fitting send-off to a futuristic and synesthetic offering. On Black Up, Shabazz Palaces manage to sound completely alien and gloriously human at the same time, harking back to early hip hop efforts from the scenes founding fathers.

Oliver Laing

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Music Obsessive / DJ / Reviewer - I've been on the path of the obsessive ear since forever! Currently based in Perth, you can check out some radio shows I host at http://www.rtrfm.com.au/presenters/Oliver%20Laing

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