El-P live!

El-P
Abbey Pub, Chicago
Tuesday, May 8, 2007

The title of El-P’s new album, I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (Definitive Jux), says a lot about this Brooklyn native’s work ethic. Everything about the rapping producer’s dark, intricate hip-hop sounds like it was carefully crafted into the early a.m. hours . . . the same can be said about El’s incredibly dramatic new stage show.

While watching him perform in the forever-stuffy Abbey Pub, it’s hard not to think back five years when his stage approach didn’t quite match the complexity of his music. When touring in support of his solo debut, Fantastic Damage, in 2002, El relied on the classic hip-hop arrangement with a DJ and hype man by his side. And it worked amid the simplicity. But on this muggy night, the new and improved El-P set looks like it has finally caught up with his studio work.

As the smoke machine began to impose its foggy effect, El’s DJ (Mr. Dibbs), bassist (Kareem Bunton), and keyboardist (Wilder Schwartz) took their places with bandanas across their faces. Then something even stranger happened: Gary Jules’ downbeat yet overwhelmingly emotive cover of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World” hit the speakers – not the first song one would expect a hip-hop act to use to introduce themselves. But for someone so consumed with the chaos of this country and greater world, the choice made perfect sense. When El emerged with fake blood swiped across his forehead and neck, the drama only intensified.

About the only thing traditional about his new setup is the presence of his non-made-up hype man, The Mighty Quin. El has even altered the way he moves on stage, ditching the braggadocio b-boy stance for a jittery, indie rock-ish presence. But all the changes in the world didn’t stop El from performing material from his old group, Company Flow, like the battle rap classic, “Vital Nerve.” At times like this, the band took a break and let the vinyl spin while the crowd relished in the nostalgia. When performing new material, he usually also garnered a strong response with his band – especially to the single “Smithereens (Stop Your Cryin’),” which features drums, sound effects, and lyrics aggressive enough to spark a mosh pit. While that didn’t happen with this crowd, the energy in the room was buzzing.

On the less successful tip was El’s performance of “The Overly Dramatic Truth.” Already a downer, this number was performed sloppily, resulting in little response from the crowd. To his credit, though, the images being projected onto the backdrop helped keep people’s interest even in these duller moments (flames flickering in this case).

This performance was about more than the music. Thanks to El-P’s inventiveness, this tour is a hyper-visual experience, light years ahead creatively than most indie hip-hop sets these days. Even if the fake blood on the face isn’t all that pleasant to look at, it syncs up with El’s sonic angst. What’s interesting is that one of the opening acts, Yak Ballz, generated an equally strong response from the audience using much more traditional measures (DJ and hype man only). Yak did so with the strength of his raw stage presence (a stage dive didn’t hurt his cause either). Maybe all the visual elements in El’s set weren’t really necessary. But when it comes down to it, his viewers have probably never had so much to look at all at once.

— Max Herman

Category: Live Reviews, Weekly