Bumbershoot Day 2: Electronica’s Performance All But Electric

Written by Jake Greene. Published: Monday, September 6, 2010.

Sunday held a larger array of hip hop than Saturday, but more doesn’t always mean better.

Jay Electronica:

The acclaimed highlight of the day was Jay Electronica, the New Orleans emcee who, despite lacking a depth of releases, has gained fame from his 2009 track “Exhibit C”.

Hitting the State Farm Stage in front of a near packed out crowd, Electronica went through the traditional steps of getting hands up and a call and response. The events that followed were anything but normal. Almost every song ended with him calling for the DJ to cut the beat, as he continued to spit the final verse a capella. It wasn’t only his songs, Electronica asked the crowd if they “liked Nas before entering into a karaoke-esque cover of “The World is Yours”. Eventually, he invited everyone, yes EVERYONE, onto the stage, proceeding to let a 12 year old rap a track.

It was only fitting for the set to end in a bizarre manner, as Electronica rocked the last 2 tracks from in front of the stage, limiting the line of sight to about 14 people and never re-entering the stage. Leaving 25 minutes early from his set time, this was not what I had expected from an artist with the level of hype Electronica has. Although when he did rap on stage, it was flawless, but these moments were few and far between.

Fresh Espresso:

The Electro hip hop duo of P. Smoov and Rik Rude has become renowned in the Northwest for performances with enough energy to cure someone of mono. Sunday was no different, bringing the masses of young people into a frenzy of dancing and smoking. The duo, backed by DJ Terry Radjaw and drummer Trent Moorman, were all over the stage, and Smoov’s electricity was contagious. The fans didn’t care if the tracks were from their 2009 album Glamour or something they had never heard before, they still went wild.

While this performance was strong, if you have seen one Fresh Espresso set, it seems as though you have seen them all. The drummer is a new addition, but adds little to the set, and aside from a few new tracks, the act has failed to change in the last year.

The Physics:

The most impressive act of the day came from group of maturing artists. Over the past few years, The Physics have evolved from a lovable group speaking on beer and technology on their debut album Future Talk, to their new grown folk music that is perfect for two-stepping. Their old music seems to have enhanced with this growth as well, as the tracks from Future Talk came with a smooth confidence that I had yet to witness from the group.

With the vibrant lights of the EMP Sky Church behind them, The Physics appear to have differentiated themselves from the rest of the local hip hop bunch, with a crowd whose average age may have exceeded 18.

Fatal Lucciauno:

While most of the EMP Sky Church crowd may have left due to inexplicably being forced to re-enter after The Physics set, Fatal showed reason to believe he won’t be “The Forgotten Son” for long. Fatal always looks confident on stage, but on Sunday night, he looked like he owned the stage. With Spaceman hyping the majority of the set, Fatal’s crisp patterns and demanding on-stage presence confirmed that Fatal will soon become a prominent figure in the Seattle hip hop community.

Photos by Nick Bulat

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