The glitchy, trippy music of Seattle-based duo Shabazz Palaces is hip-hop for sound and noise nerds, much more concerned with exploring different musical palettes and textures than creating beats to nod your head to. Ishmael Butler (formerly of Digable Planets) has a history of creating hip-hop with a solid foundation in jazz-influenced musicianship. With Shabazz Palaces, Butler goes even bolder and more experimental in his musical collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Tendai “Baba” Maraire. Together, they eschew sampling of existing songs and dare to create new patterns of melody and rhythm with drum machines, synth, samplers and various forms of percussive instruments. It’s hip-hop that tells a story through words and music and defies simple descriptions. One of the most exciting elements of Shabazz Palaces live performances that they are far from a note-by-note re-creation of their recorded sound. Seeing them live is a radically different experience than listening to them at home, so if you are familiar with their recorded work, you may be pleasantly surprised by their live interpretation. (Keidra Chaney)
September 13, Lincoln Hall, 2424 North Lincoln, $15, 10pm, 21+
Brutal Finesse: A Preview of King Crimson at Ravinia There have been few new compositions from King Crimson these past two decades, but the live arrangements of songs from its catalog are often strikingly different than the recorded versions.
