DJ Shadow: Live from the Shadowsphere

Artist: DJ Shadow
Genre: Trip-hop
Concert Venue: UEA LCR, Norwich
Concert Date: Thursday 23rd June 2011

Information:
Back in June 2011, I went to see DJ Shadow at the UEA LCR; this concert was different from any I have been to before and since as it was more about the immersive visuals from the artists proclaimed "Shadowsphere", where as, his music acted as a sort of soundtrack to illustrate these interesting short films.






Audience:

During the concert, I noticed some distinct factors about the audience that has now given me a better idea of the type of person/people who appreciate the trip-hop genre; it is first useful to note that DJ Shadow aka Joshua Davis is an American born music producer and DJ. Firstly, the majority of the audience at the concert were male, this could be explained by the origins of trip-hop that I touched on in a previous blog post; whereby, groups of predominately male soundsystems were kick-starters of the hip-hop and furthermore trip-hop genre. e.g. DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash and later on The Wild Bunch or Massive Attack. In terms of age, other than me and the friend I went with the most part of the audience appeared to be aged in their mid 20's and above, ranging up to late 50's; this could indicate trip-hop's maturity as a genre, it's not generic pop that uses the same similar riffs and beats in order to satisfy a more focused teen audience. Instead, and particularly in DJ Shadow's case, tracks are created from samples of old and usually unheard of records synched with newly crafted beats or rhythms in order to construct sounds that are rather alternative in their nature.

DJ Shadow, wearing a baseball cap.

Furthermore, the main ethnic backgrounds of the audience were caucasian and african-carribean; this is interesting as trip-hop was created through the primary influence of hip-hop and adapted in bristol, hip-hop's primary founders were of african-carribean ethnicity; whereas, the trip-hop genre evolved via individuals of caucasian ethnicty, as well as african-carribean. Therefore, this could be an indication that trip-hop is a genre that has been formed by and can be fully appreciated by these two different ethnic groups. Additionally, a fashion accessory that was common amongst the audience was a baseball cap, this type of cap is perhaps a signifier of the genre as well as the artist himself; the baseball cap originated from Brooklyn in the 1860's when the local baseball team adapted it as part of their kit when playing. Moreover, by the 1900's this style of hat became very popular and from then on in became a everyday piece of fashion; interestingly, hip-hop originated from the Bronx, an area very close to Brooklyn and so it seems that as a result this type of hat became an iconic fashion symbol of the hip-hop genre. Again, as trip-hop was formed through the primary influence of this genre, so was the fashion, which could explain it's prevalence in the audience. On the other hand, DJ Shadow consistently wears a baseball cap and so audience prevalence could be explained by the influence on fan base in terms of fashion.

I would say that the type of person who attended this concert had a strong appreciation for the arts, this is as the concert was gripping visually as well as in auditory essence.

What does this concert about the trip-hop genre?

DJ Shadow's Live from the Shadowsphere seems to indicate the importance of strong visuals or narrative in the accompaniment to tracks within the trip-hop genre, it's as if this music acts as more of soundtrack than anything else. This was highly reflective within the concert through the use of many short films and visual effects in order to keep the audience captivated; it was less about seeing the artist live, but more about the atmosphere of this new visual experience, whilst appreciating his music. In contrast, when I went to see an indie-rock band (Arctic Monkeys) a few weeks back, it was more about the stage presence of front man Alex Turner and singing along with the band to all of their songs; also, getting involved in moving about with the crowd. Whereby, DJ Shadow was about kicking back and appreciating what was being seen and heard, in a sense giving it a cinematic aesthetic. These two contrasting genres and concerts lay down the same format for music videos as well, indie-rock music videos often feature stage performance or the lead singer as the protagonist. Whereas, trip-hop videos are more about how well the music plays out to a visual narrative.