DJ Logic: Project Logic

Even though a DJ was headlining last Thursday night at the Middle East, by five minutes into the set it was obvious that this was no typical turntable throwdown -- there were no b-boys in the crowd, Bowie guitarist Reeves Gabrels was warming up backstage, and DJ Logic was halfway into a beat-less intro that cross-faded airplane engine roar, Arabic chanting, and Atari 2600 explosions.

As atypical as it seemed, this was business as usual for Logic, a turntable musician who's spent the better part of the past decade on a road less traveled. Although he grew up in the South Bronx, Logic's scene has always been more downtown than boogie down. After a stint in the black rock band Eye & I, he became a Knitting Factory regular, collaborating with Don Byron, Vernon Reid, and, eventually, Medeski Martin and Wood -- the organ trio who included Logic on their 1998 album Combustication (Blue Note) and a subsequent tour. Dipping into his fat book of contacts, Logic's debut CD, DJ Logic presents Project Logic (Ropeadope), features cameos by Marc Ribot, Vernon Reid, and John Medeski.

Logic's not just a skilled DJ, he's also a talented all-around musician. Eschewing flashy scratching displays, he fronts chunky hip-hop beat slinging, knob-twisting dub, and chaotic sound sculpting -- sonic trademarks that've made him the man to call when jazz cats want to tap into the hip-hop zeitgeist. The results -- both on the album and in concert -- favor multi-textured grooves over highflying solos.

Although he didn't bring any of his album crew along to the Middle East, Logic invited some like-minded locals -- guitarist Reeves Gabrels, Club D'elf bassist Mike Rivard, and MC Mr. Lif -- to join his quartet (Mike Whiteman on keyboards, Eric Paul on drums, Scott Palmer on bass, Casey Benjamin on reeds). Logic's Anvil-cased turntables may have been front and center, but his easygoing attitude allowed the guests equal time in the spotlight, a smart move that led to some searing art-metal riffage from Gabrels and a Mr. Lif freestyle that rhymed "Pluto" with "Judo," and "Menudo" with "Bledsoe."

-- Michael Endelman