DJ Pete Rock and CL Smooth from Mount Vernon, New York, graced the seafront of Brighton with their 25th anniversary tour of All Souled Out, their début album from 1991. As with many musical duos, the pair were confronted with creative issues in 1995 and for 15 years it seemed as if the obscure, jazz-filled beats would be no more. The controversy ran deep between the two with disapproving comments made by each member up until 2010 when the death of iconic Gang starr member Guru bought them back together with a newfound objective to reignite true hip-hop.
Straight out of Detroit, Slum Village are the superstar chameleons of 90s hip-hop with the members changing regularly, yet maintaining the playfully conscious lyrics and contrastingly raw, minimal beats. What started with childhood friends rapping for something to do, turned into a movement that recently released some of the last remaining J Dilla material.
Young RJ and T3 bounce off each other so naturally, ‘Forth And Back’ set the mood for a chilled Sunday night with a blissfully dreamy beat. They have the uncanny ability to take the viewer on a journey and they rhyme off each other’s back so synergistically that it feels like you’re jamming with these lyrical geniuses, just kicking some beats. The surprise of the night was undoubtedly the most vocally talented DJ I have seen. Out of the blue these crisp high-pitched notes, unfamiliar to hip-hop, fell over the crowd and we were mesmerised. The soulful voice complemented the raw backing-track and captured the attention of all in Concorde.
As the truly remarkable Slum Village walked off stage, the already heated Sunday night crowd bristled with anticipation at the imminent arrival of the unsung heroes of the golden era, Pete Rock and CL Smooth. The Isaac Hayes like guitar intro to ‘Good Life’ swept through the crowd with a wave of excitement as the cymbals built up to the Ugly Duckling-esque brass hook line that Pete Rock is well known for. The rhythmic flows of CL Smooth were so delicately placed that you would be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a mastered recording; he simply did not miss a beat or skip a syllable.
‘They Reminisce Over You’ is a lament for the dead, which felt more like a celebration of life than an expression of sorrow as the Sunday crowd jeered to the horn-based hooks that DJ Pete Rock is notorious for. CL Smooth takes you on a journey through his troubled childhood in Mount Vernon, New York, dropping words of wisdom with his signature smooth flow about the trials and tribulations of being raised by a poor single mother. Despite the consistently deep and learned undertones coursing through the performance from CL Smooth, which only served to further the experience, he had an aura of jovial child’s play about him – catching the attention of different members of the crowd before breaking it down with a little dance for them, allowing for the 90s feel good personalities to shine through.
Throughout the night there was a plethora of relaxed and thoughtful music contrary to the majority of modern hip-hop, a window into the birth of this music that coincided perfectly with the release of Netflix series The Get Down. The inaudible lyrics of shoot-outs and consumerism were replaced by prophetic teachings from Mr. Smooth’s life; and the monotonous uninspired modern day beats replaced with brass and funk straight out of the 60s. By far the most poignant part of the evening’s performance was the auditory palette cleanser that Pete Rock would drop in-between tracks. The soulful and jazz filler tracks gave the evening and the crowd an opportunity to breathe and ground themselves after an auditory assault of the grandest order. It reminded me of the first time I ate at a Michelin star restaurant – I entered with the belief that I truly knew the intricacies of dining and left with the realisation that I was a dining pagan. The tracks selected for these mindful situations were nothing short of perfect. It was immediately obvious that this is what inspired Pete Rock as he mixed the soul-filled trumpets into the snappy snares of hip-hop.
Sunday nights are more commonly associated with awful TV and dread for the up and coming week. This Sunday night was a lesson. Walking away, I was truly awe-struck. I felt like I had been shown the next musical level so to speak. Slum Village complemented and setup the evening for Pete Rock and CL Smooth like no one else. Their ability to take you away in their little bubble and drop you off feeling refreshed by their delicately honed originality; makes them an act not to be missed. Then, the fact that after 25 years Pete Rock and CL Smooth can come to Brighton on a Sunday night and put out a performance that felt fresh off the block in 1990s New York, proved that these two love what they do and do it for the love. This was a show that will stay with me forever.
Elliot Wright