For those who savour Shabazz Palaces, Tricky & Frank Ocean!
‘Antwon has to cancel tonight’s show because he missed his plane from Helsinki to Brussels due to unforeseen circumstances’. The timing of the evening will change as follows:
19:00 doors / DJ Other Brothers
20:30 Brihang
21:30 Young Fathers
22:30 curfew
We'll just have to wait and see if Young Fathers belongs in the row of genre-crossing revelations like James Blake or Frank Ocean, as their debut ‘Dead’ will only see the light of day on 3 February ’14… But the unique, avant-gardish blend of psychedelic hip-hop, darker trip-hop, African rhythms, typical British grime, ambient noise, reggae and neo-soul on their EPs ‘Tape One’ and ‘Tape Two’ is entirely unheard of.
Nothing, and certainly not their names, makes you suspect that the trio Alloysious Massaquoi, Kayus Bankole and 'G' Hastings hatch out their psychedelic hip-hop ideas in Scotland's Edinburgh, but it fits perfectly into Young Fathers' unconventional image.
Anticon – that likes to colour outside the commercial lines, with acts like Son Lux (in AB on 18/01), Baths and even Mike Patton’s Peeping Tom – re-released the two Young Fathers EPs in early '13, and the avant-hop label will also do the honours for their debut album.
The lyrics “Undercover pessimist baby showered in my fathers sins but I was born to be the better part of him” and “Did I see you planting seeds in the forest? Is it for the green of the dollars? Now don't go telling me it's for the needs of the poorest. Now I’ma take a shit in your palace.” from single ‘Low’ dig deep and reveal a socially critical undertone. A perfect match for the unique blend of styles that Young Fathers emerge with. The next best thing?
“My favorite thing to do on a day off is just lying in bed, having sex all day”. Nice way to spend your time, Antwon! This entertainingly deranged MC from San Jose, California, dropped the genius mixtapes ‘Fantasy Beds’ and ‘End of Earth’ three years ago and rolled over the digital tongue of many a hipster in the blogosphere. Live, Antwon flirts with the raw energy of punk shows... in his videos and lyrics (like ‘Dying In The Pussy’) he flirts with other things. Check out his latest single ‘Helicopter’ released on the brilliant Bella Union (Beach House, Fleet Foxes, Midlake) label.
Brihang (Boudy Verleye), from West-Flanders, paints pure poetry over inventive beats and he distinguishes himself from the stereotype subjects that many contemporary rappers are guilty of. The art of the word (“De manier, waarop haar haar valt, voor jou niet, voor mij is dat relevant. Als poëzie, gekanteld op haar kant.”) is the point of focus for his penetrating new EP 'Periode Jalisco', just recently released on Fake Records (Uberdope). The sculpture student more than rightly wrenched his way into the company of the final few for Stubru’s De Nieuwe Lichting, and we'd be pleased to see him end up high in the ranking.
Three promising and inventive young acts, each with their own interpretation of rap and hip hop, together in AB Club!