Every Bro Has a Story
As I busted out some of the best moves ever seen on this side of the Mason Dixon line, the sweat poured down the pleasantly plump gentleman on my right. To be fair, I was similarly perspiring, amidst a sea of what can only be described as Bro Montana and his Navabro brethren. The location: Terminal 5 for Brobible.com’s Revelation Summer Kick-Off. While I am neither a reader of the site, nor a fan of notoriously brolific events, the brommunity created a lineup worth weathering the Charles Broakleys and Bronald Reagans (by the way, I’m two “bros” away from tying a non brobible.com and DMB fan site record for most bro references in a single article). The pinney clad crew managed to gather Chiddy Bang, RJD2, Pretty Lights and almost every club level lacrosse player in the country, certainly no small feat.
To start the night, the sample heavy duo from Philly brought the thunder. Working within the constraints of a thirty-minute set, Chiddy and Xaphoon played crowd pleasers “Truth,” “The Opposite of Adults,” “Never” and “All Things Go.” While they killed each aforementioned Swelly Express track, the highlight of their performance was indubitably Chiddy’s freestyle. After taking suggestions from the highly inebriated audience, Chiddy rattled off a startlingly sharp freestyle atop a classically tight Xaphoon beat. My only complaint of the set was absence of “Hey London.” Although I understand that we were on the other side of the Atlantic, the Air Swell track transcends its geographic ties.
Next up were the equally impressive beats of Rjd2. The temperate Ramble John Krohn sauntered on stage, said, “Hi, my name is RJ,” and proceeded to unleash his famed instrumentals. While I’m not usually partial to strictly instrumental performances, Rjd2’s beats and accompanying visuals allowed for a surprisingly impressive set. For those of you unfamiliar with Rjd2, check out the track at the bottom, something tells me your affinity for all things Don Draper and Sterling Cooper is about to be tickled.
Headlining the evening was Pretty Lights. While I had enjoyed their remixes and mashes (that are free via their website), I was unsure about how they’d translate into a live setting. Little did I know that producer Derek Vincent Smith, accompanied by drummer Cory Eberhard, would be able to provoke unbridled enthusiasm from the jammed packed crowd. Their remixes, samples and mashes continue to amaze me, and the concurrent light show (hence their name) only intensified their performance. The duo rocked the crowd for a venerable two hours and ended with one of the most amazing mashes the world has ever heard. While its become common place for artists to end New York shows with their rendition of “Empire State of Mind” (see LCD Soundsystem), Smith threw both “Juicy” and “Hello Brooklyn” atop Jigga’s Marcy Project anthem. I wish I could reencounter the unforgettable mash and share its magic with you, but for now I’ll have to leave you with the Tuckahoe mash of Pretty Light’s favorite “The Time Has Come” and Weezy’s “Stuntin’ Like My Daddy.”
Hey London – Chiddy Bang (YSI)
it’s like rjd2 tried to cram every record he’s ever heard into each track, which provides a really incompatible and unbalanced listen. His music seems to have lost the original and exciting chemistry it had and it has resulted in a self indulgent album that tries just a bit too hard.
I like Mad Men.
You hear Chiddy’s performance at KISS in Cleveland last week? Played Dream Chasin and debuted a new song…http://wp.me/pXoV4-9h