Music seen at the Asylum, November 2, 2007
By SONYA TOMLINSON | November 7, 2007
Local MCs Altruistic and Bread are “The Blob.” Lots of their new material made its way to the stage Friday night; word is they have co-written and recorded at least 20 tracks together. They are two of the most prolific MCs in town, and they make a nice duo with contrasting delivery and unified content. I would, however, like to hear them over some seriously banging production and with a DJ to fill out the sound.
I’ll admit I slipped out during the Brzowski-Graymatter set to check out our own Chris Gray and Ian Paige hosting their debut First Friday dance party at One Longfellow Square: a great concept in need of a subwoofer. Be sure to get your dance on with Bam Bam next month.
Back to the Asylum: I saw New York's Hangar 18 perform three weeks ago at the Brooklyn Music Hall in the Definitive Jux CMJ showcase. Without prior research, I had unconsciously assumed Hangar 18 was a solo DJ, but this trio of two MCs and a DJ were high-energy with catchy hooks, party-time production, and steady dancing. They proved as strong here in Portland, giving the same effort in our small city as they did in the Big Apple.
When headliner Glue hit the stage there was a bit of popping as the bass peaked, but they worked through it with smiles on their faces. On the final tour supporting their most recent album, Catch as Catch Can (from September 2006), the trio seemed very comfortable in their places on MPC, turntables, and microphone. Despite living in three different cities, these fellas came together with ease. And frontman Adeem is more confident in his shoes than ever before. Maybe it’s that new wedding ring on his finger.
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