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Concert Mon Jan 21 2008
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist pitch The Hard Sell
Eight turntables, four mixers, two effects pedals, a video projection backdrop, and a crafty introductory film by former Chicago-based video and music producer Ben Stokes (see the two clips below). That's what DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist are bringing with them on the road as they take The Hard Sell on an extended international tour. And fattening up the package is wonky turntable wunderkind Kid Koala (!), who signed on as the tour's opening act.
Back in 1999, Shadow and Cut Chemist, the Bay Area's twin titans of turntablism, teamed up to produce the Brainfreeze mix CD and its accompanying tour. Strictly using 7" 45s of obscure funk tracks and the occasional bit of goofy vintage ad-rock, the deftly mixed and flawlessly paced collaboration touched off something of a craze in the waning days of turntablism's popularity. They later aimed to top themselves on 2001's follow-up, Product Placement; but by doubling the number of tracks used for the mix, the pair mainly succeeded in over-egging the pudding a bit.
Now it's over seven years later, and the duo have teamed up to give fans another go with their new mix project, The Hard Sell. But according to a review by hip-hop critic Oliver Wang, the new Shadow & Chemist effort is not just a third installment to their prior ventures. Instead of a mere mix session, The Hard Sell is also a full-fledged collaborative beat composition in which the two DJs apply their skills in creating an orchestrated soundscape of beats, samples, scratching, and manipulated sounds.
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist will be performing in Chicago on Friday, February 1st at Park West Theater. Doors open at 7:30, the show starts at 9pm. Tickets are $30. 18 and up show.
(And FYI: If you want to catch the show, then you might want to go ahead and move on getting tix -- because dates in other cities have been selling out in advance.)
UPDATE, 1/22: Nope, scratch that. As predicted, Park West reports that the DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist show is now completely sold out. For those without (ahem!) alternative resources for finding tickets, stay tuned to see if a second Chicago date will be added to the tour.
[video]: The Hard Sell intro film
[video]: DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist - live @ Hollywood Bowl promo clip
