DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist are iconic beatsmiths in their own right, but the pair will be partnering up to promote the granddaddy of them all, Afrika Bambaataa. A five-week North American tour will have them spinning wax culled exclusively from the hip-hop pioneer's 40,000-record-deep collection.
The "Renegades of Rhythm" tour starts up September 1 at Toronto's Guvernment and heads down into the U.S. before the trip bookends itself with a Canadian closer at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom on October 9. The project had initially been conceived by art curator Johan Kugelberg, who had brokered the sale of Bambaataa's collection to Cornell University, as a mix from the two contemporary DJs, but the idea snowballed into a full-blown tour toasting the legendary "Planet Rock" producer.
"This has never been done before, definitely not on this scale," said DJ Shadow in a statement. "They're HIS records, with his blessings. This isn't just ANY copy of 'X' breakbeat, it's THE copy, THE copy that started everything. Not just any records, the MASTER OF RECORDS' records."
The live show will have Shadow and Cut Chemist working with six turntables, two mixers, a drum machine manned by Shadow, and various pieces of vintage gear. "It adds another performance level, real-time sampling from the record that's being played," said Cut Chemist of the setup.
Shadow also explained that the tour is more than just about the records, but a celebration of Bambaataa himself, saying, "The program will be multifaceted. Bambaataa as artist, exploring the influence of his classics like 'Planet Rock'; Bambaataa as collector, and the genre-defining breaks he discovered; and Bambaataa as peacemaker and force for social change. He influenced an entire generation worldwide, so we feel a great obligation to get it right."
The tour also comes with the blessing of Bambaataa, who said, "I call on all who love hip-hop to come out, see them, hear them. My story is our history in DJing."
You'll find the details of the "Renegades of Rhythm" tour down below.
Tour dates:
09/01 Toronto, ON - Guvernment
09/03 Boston, MA - House of Blues
09/04 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
09/06 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
09/08 Washington, DC - The Fillmore Silver Spring
09/09 Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
09/11 Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte
09/12 Atlanta, GA - The Loft At Center Stage
09/14 Orlando, FL - House of Blues
09/16 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
09/18 Austin, TX - ACL Live
09/19 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
09/20 Houston, TX - House of Blues
09/22 Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
09/23 Chicago, IL - House of Blues
09/24 Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theater
09/26 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
09/27 Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen
09/29 Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
10/01 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
10/02 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
10/03 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
10/07 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
10/08 Seattle, WA - Neptune
10/09 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
The "Renegades of Rhythm" tour starts up September 1 at Toronto's Guvernment and heads down into the U.S. before the trip bookends itself with a Canadian closer at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom on October 9. The project had initially been conceived by art curator Johan Kugelberg, who had brokered the sale of Bambaataa's collection to Cornell University, as a mix from the two contemporary DJs, but the idea snowballed into a full-blown tour toasting the legendary "Planet Rock" producer.
"This has never been done before, definitely not on this scale," said DJ Shadow in a statement. "They're HIS records, with his blessings. This isn't just ANY copy of 'X' breakbeat, it's THE copy, THE copy that started everything. Not just any records, the MASTER OF RECORDS' records."
The live show will have Shadow and Cut Chemist working with six turntables, two mixers, a drum machine manned by Shadow, and various pieces of vintage gear. "It adds another performance level, real-time sampling from the record that's being played," said Cut Chemist of the setup.
Shadow also explained that the tour is more than just about the records, but a celebration of Bambaataa himself, saying, "The program will be multifaceted. Bambaataa as artist, exploring the influence of his classics like 'Planet Rock'; Bambaataa as collector, and the genre-defining breaks he discovered; and Bambaataa as peacemaker and force for social change. He influenced an entire generation worldwide, so we feel a great obligation to get it right."
The tour also comes with the blessing of Bambaataa, who said, "I call on all who love hip-hop to come out, see them, hear them. My story is our history in DJing."
You'll find the details of the "Renegades of Rhythm" tour down below.
Tour dates:
09/01 Toronto, ON - Guvernment
09/03 Boston, MA - House of Blues
09/04 New York, NY - Irving Plaza
09/06 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
09/08 Washington, DC - The Fillmore Silver Spring
09/09 Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage
09/11 Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore Charlotte
09/12 Atlanta, GA - The Loft At Center Stage
09/14 Orlando, FL - House of Blues
09/16 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
09/18 Austin, TX - ACL Live
09/19 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
09/20 Houston, TX - House of Blues
09/22 Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
09/23 Chicago, IL - House of Blues
09/24 Minneapolis, MN - Skyway Theater
09/26 Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
09/27 Aspen, CO - Belly Up Aspen
09/29 Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
10/01 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
10/02 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
10/03 Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
10/07 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
10/08 Seattle, WA - Neptune
10/09 Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
