Ah yes, another predictably unpredictable Stones Throw gig I just witnessed and the first one to be reviewed here on Footurama. By now you’re probably guessing that I’m quite a fan of this Los Angeles based independent hip-hop label (although plainly labeling it as a hip-hop label is criminally simplistic) judging by the number of posts and references I give them in my blog posts and my other ramblings on this site and of course you’d be right. Luckily for me the label organized a Carhartt sponsored 2009 European Tour which gives me the chance to show you the reason behind my obsession with the label as the show epitomizes more or less the philosophy behind the label and the various musical boundaries that make the label one of the biggest success stories of independent labels of the last decade.Whilst I’ll save the detailed review of the actual label for another time, the gig does reflect the predictably unpredictable description I used earlier as label owner Peanut Butter Wolf brought along label new comers James Pants, Mayer Hawthorne and Dam-Funk for the European Tour with their differing-yet-strangely-complimentary musical styles; electro synth rock, throwback Motown-era Soul and electro-boogie respectively to the unsuspecting Amsterdam crowd.
In a not so conventional fashion the owner and one of the major exponents of the label, turntablist Peanut Butter Wolf opened the set (as opposed to ending it) with an audio-video dee-jaying masterpiece where he diced, sliced, scratched and mixed tracks together with corresponding videos mixed and completely random video pieces with apparently no boundaries on genre (covering most styles of hip-hop, rock, dub reggae, 70s & 80s funk, soul, jazz, the works) to a hilarious and genially entertaining effect. You had your traditional hip-hop video clips, classic soul clips, Ernie ‘n Bert rapping, The Jackson 5 all cleverly mixed in a Kutiman-esque video collage which really had the crowd excited. As the show was built up as the Q-Tip after party, the Abstract himself appeared to join in the flurry of dancing which has built up from PB Wolf’s highly interactive set.
*All photos by Erick Wicaksono & Ffonz
Cue James Pants from Spokane Seattle. JP and his band Royal Zodiac (Josh Simon (Keys/Bass), Paul Flores (Keys/Vocals/Sax) and Justin Walter (Drums)) performed after PB Wolf to an energetic 30 minute set performing tracks mostly from his 2008 LP Welcome with a dose of The Doors (covering ‘Touch Me’). I can’t really put my finger on Pants’ actual musical style with its mish-mash of synthesizers, beats, electronic loops, cryptic vocals, guitar riffs with an all round 80s feel to it, but I’ve labeled it as electro synth rock so I’m sticking by it. So to get a sense of the mash of genres that is James Pants and Royal Zodiac, check out the pics and the YouTube clip HERE.
When Mayer Hawthorne appeared next, with only 2 singles released on the label so far it was touch and go to see which direction the gig was heading next. Considering that Hawthorne hails from Ann Harbor, Michigan (just outside Detroit), it’s not surprising that his set was a throwback to 1960s soul with the Royal Zodiac shuffling positions and James Pants manning the drums. Think of The Dap Kings (Amy Winehouse’s band amongst other many great things) with a young Smokey Robinson on vocals and you’ll get a vague idea of this short set. Click HERE for a clip of his heart-shaped 12” recently released on Stones Throw “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out”.
The whole thing drew to a close with electro boogie DJ Dam-Funk taking over the turntables, laying down almost all past and present permutations of electro funk. His final bow saw Dam-Funk turn into Madlib with him leaving the turntables and taking over the drums instead ended the 3 hour gig while the rest of the performers (Wolf, Pants and Hawthorne) mingled with the crowd.
In the end it was indeed a typical Stones Throw concert in the sense that it involves you attending the concert with an open mind as to what to expect. As with previous experiences I had, this gig had much more of a party feel to it (besides the incessant dancing, the crowd broke the new smoking ban to light up joints) than your average pop/rock concert and the flexibility of the performers was very refreshing in this age of formulaic pop.
Click here for James Pants’ Video Music Diary of the 2009 Stones Throw Europe Tour.
Click here for James Pants’ Video Music Diary of the 2009 Stones Throw Europe Tour.
