SP Live in Alaska (entire show)

I love this video with its funky lo-fi effects. Sound quality could be better though. The way the palaceer and tendai are exploring the outer edges of their continent even if it means they're only playing to a small crowd. This is what sun ra and his arkestra were doing for most of his career. Once ish recommended me his bio "space is the place", by john f szwed, and it opened my eyes to the sheer dedication of true artists who believe and sacrifice everything for their art, as long as they live.

CRITICS DELIGHT I : national print publicationz

So a few years has passed and Ish has released another classic album. The strange thing is, that this time all the critics seems to 'get it' too. That might have happened with Reachin' (a new refutation of time and space) but it definitely didn't with Blowout Comb (at the time anyway) or Bright Black. Of course, Eagles Soar, Oil Flows and The Seven New weren't promoted anyway. I'd gotten so used to the larger media's ability to somehow ignore the output of one of the most original voices in modern music that the tsunami of critical praise over Black Up left me a bit startled (as did listening to the LP itself). Life surprises. In this post I'm sharing some national (USA) print publications' reviews of Black Up:

ROLLING STONE gives it 4 out of 5 stars, and concludes that "we have no choice but to be compelled"

FILTER MAGAZINE gave it 88% and proclaiming that "Shabazz Palaces have truly arrived"

THE L.A. TIMES also gave it 4/5 stars, adding: "Like the Tribe of Shabazz from whom they take their name, Shabazz Palaces is the sound of survival, inured against extreme climate, adamantine as diamond clusters, and levitative as any insect."

THE NEW YORK TIMES breathes a sigh of relief: "Yes, hip-hop still has an audacious progressive fringe. "

"only do what you mean"

Riffin' with Shabazz Palaces from Take the Handle on Vimeo.

the power of belief

from the talented hand of leif podhajsky.

full of eastern promise.

i grew up watching this. the use of light had a huge effect, still does

New Interview - with Lowdown Mag

This was funny. PS I've been off the scene for a while I know. It's a combination of being pulverised by the new record and enjoying the feeling (not wanting to write much) and also just being busy with stuff, like moving house every 2 months. Hey: Black Up. What can I say?

Check the interview with Lowdown Mag... wit and wisdom. Most enjoyable.

straight up big up kexp

features "bop hard" or "pilgrim marketing plan rebuttal take 7" the bonus track only on the digital download version of black up.