ABORT Magazine™

Live Review: El-P with guests, July 2nd 2012, Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, B.C.

(Archive Photo – JNForte – Flickr )

Live Review: El-P with Guests
Monday July 2nd, 2012
Fortune Sound

Hot on the heels of his much anticipated release of “Cancer 4 Cure”, Def Jux kingpin and underground rap icon El-P brought his “Into The Wild” tour to Fortune Sound Lounge last night, transforming a Blade-Runner-esque night of perpetual rain into a veritable pain cave of punishing bass and blistering rhymes.

Openers Despot and the colourfully named Mr. Muthafuckin Exquire quickly established the fact that while Def Jux as a label may be a thing of the past, the over the top ballistic style pioneered by El, Cage, Cannibal Ox and Co. is most assuredly not, and judging by the flood of ballcaps nodding in unison, still garners a solid and loyal fanbase. Exquire especially impressed the heads, with his wild intonation and versatile flow at times reminiscent of the late Camu Tao.

Since the release of his critically acclaimed “R.A.P. Music” album, produced entirely by El-P, Atlanta’s Killer Mike has reclaimed his spot as the South’s most outspoken MC, unafraid to face serious topics while maintaining a crowd rocking Crunk aesthetic, as best displayed on the “Reagan” track. With a large number of fans who know all the lyrics keeping the vibe tight, and the kind of trap beats normally heard backing Gucci Mane and Co., Mike’s furious gusto was contagious and inspiring to a city still waiting for the summer to hit.

After a brief intermission, the star of the show took up a position ready to pummel, and proceeded to unleash his inner demons as only El can, his smoked out vocals transmitting flows like a beacon in the darkness. Pausing briefly to retrieve the squirrel puppet from the video, El launched into “The Full Retard” like a man posessed. On “Cancer 4 Cure” he has delved even deeper into the cold vein of intense paranoia that has been his muse for decades, and come out meaner and leaner, with a focused fury that comes from years of touring. With a stage show much stripped down from his last full-band tour, El created a sonic environment from beats, vocals, keys and screaming guitar that encapsulates the agonizing angst of our times. The stellar “Drones Over Brooklyn” had the crowd leaping in unison like civilians in a strike attack.

While El-P has never catered to the mainstream, he has maintained a very loyal fanbase by perfecting what he does best – portraying today’s world of virtual terror through the eyes of a jaded New Yorker who always edgy but never scared. Well into the second decade of his career he continues to truly bring the ruckus, and the “Into The Wild” tour continues to leave its scorching mark on stages across the continent.

By Dave “Corvid” McCallum

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