Aesop Rock and DJ Shadow draw crowds on day two of Kaleidoscope Music Festival

Originally Posted on Emerald Media via UWIRE

Before Nas would take the main stage, day two of Kaleidoscope brought in two more large names in hip-hop: Aesop Rock and DJ Shadow.

Aesop Rock rapped for a decent-sized crowd considering his 4 p.m. time slot. While he naturally played many songs from his newest album, “Skelethon,” he did toss in some oldies like “No Regrets” and “None Shall Pass.”

“Oh it was sick. He was fast and flows well,” said Robert Bain, who had never seen Aesop Rock live in concert before. Many of his older fans were also appreciative that the Brooklyn rapper made the flight to Eugene.

“It was absolutely great. He only had an hour to perform but you can tell he loves what he does,” David Whippo said. “He played No Regrets, which just makes me cry just about every time I hear it.”

A little later, DJ Shadow followed Aesop with an hour-long set that started with heavy hip-hop mashes between “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe” by Kendrick Lamar with Ace Hood’s “Bugatti.” It seemed DJ Shadow’s blend of hip-hop and dance music would be more palatable for the EDM-heavy crowd, but newer material lulled the crowd at parts.

“This is the shit we listen to in California, brought up here to you guys in Oregon,” quipped DJ Shadow over the speakers. “If some of this is new to you don’t worry about it. Actually, everything is going according to plan.”

Some in the crowd were undeterred by the dearth of enthusiasm from the rest of the crowd.

“I’ve waited a long time to see DJ Shadow. Like 10 years,” said an attendee who insisted to be known only as Rockett. “I don’t know what the deal was, but it was definitely appreciated … He’s an old dude, and there’s nothing but college kids here who don’t know.”

Near the end of his set, which concluded with eclectic remixes of Blvck Crvck by DMNDZ, If I Ever Fall in Love Again by Shai, Beware by Death Grips and his own bombastic track “I Gotta Rokk.” But through all those tracks, the crowd remained eager to see some older work. Then DJ Shadow pulled out the trump card, Organ Donor, the most recognizable track from his 1996 album “Endtroducing…”

“Organ Donor was the jam,” said Mimi Naja of the band Fruition, which plays noon on the main stage for day three. “I wanted a little flashback from 11 years ago,”

Attendants who spoke to the Emerald seemed divided on DJ Shadow’s selection of old music versus new.

“I feel like anything you bring that’s new is going to happen like that. And I could suffer through the rest of that to listen to his “Endtroducing…” stuff,” said festival-goer Lucas Dix, “He’s an artist and has the right to play whatever he wants. He could go up there and play a metronome for an hour and I’d still say it was alright. At least I got to see DJ Shadow.”

Read more here: http://dailyemerald.com/2013/08/25/aesop-rock-and-dj-shadow-draw-crowds-on-day-three-of-kaleidoscope-music-festival/
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