Earlier this year, alternative hip-hop duo Shabazz Palaces resurfaced in a major way. News of an upcoming album (Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star), plans for a North American tour and a funkadelic, Thaddillac-backed new single called "Shine A Light" were enough to keep us buzzing for weeks. Then they heated up the summer by surprising us with a double album release, dropping Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines alongside Gangster Star, and expanding their tour to include 23 European cities. At this point, they've already gotten our ears and our coins. But apparently, they want our time, too, because their newly released video for "Shine A Light" has left us scratching our heads and wishing we could get our three minutes back.
We're all for artistic expression, so we at least give the duo props for their commitment to taking risks and giving us something we've never seen before. Still, after watching the odd visuals directed by provocateur filmmaker Neil Ferron, we couldn't help but wonder: What in the entire hell is this?! The art piece has been described as "the story of a half-human/half-goat baby that gets ritualistically sacrificed at a countryside, teenage wedding.” Yeah, let that sink in. Then scroll down and check it out for yourself. Help us figure this one out. We'll wait.
In the meantime, we think we'll stick to the music (which we are loving, by the way). Copies of Quazarz: Born On A Gangster Star and Quazarz vs. The Jealous Machines are available via Bandcamp or SubPop. If you're looking for a collector's item, an illustrated version of Jealous Machines will be available on August 18th. After watching the video scroll down for another mind warp with the visuals for "Welcome to Quaraz." If you prefer to see/hear Shabazz Palaces live, take note of the tour dates below or visit their website to connect with them directly. Tickets for the European leg can be purchased via SubPop.
Shabazz Palaces Tour Dates:
Aug. 16 - Portland, OR - The Star Theater*
Aug. 18 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall*
Aug. 19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Regent Theatre*
Aug. 20 - Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom*
Aug. 21 - El Paso, TX - Lowbrow*
Aug. 23 - Austin, TX - Mohawk (Outdoor Stage)*
Aug. 24 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada*
Aug. 25 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon*
Aug. 26 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West*
Aug. 27 - Charleston, SC - Music Farm*
Aug. 28 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle*
Aug. 30 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups*
Aug. 31 - Detroit, MI - El Club*
Sep. 01 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace*
Sep. 02 - Montreal, QC - Theatre Fairmount*
Sep. 03 - Quebec City, QC - Le Cercle*
Sep. 05 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair*
Sep. 06 - Brooklyn, NY - Warsaw*
Sep. 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer*
Sep. 08 - Washington, DC - Black Cat*
Sep. 09 - Baltimore, DC - Ottobar*
Sep. 11 - Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall*
Sep. 14 - Minneapolis, MN - Amsterdam Bar & Hall*
Sep. 16 - Chicago, IL - Riot Fest at Douglas Park
Oct. 06 - Copenhagen, DK - Jazz House
Oct. 07 - Stockholm, SE - Debaser
Oct. 08 - Oslo, NO - Parkteateret
Oct. 09 - Gotheburg, SE - Pustervik
Oct. 11 - Helsinki, FI - Kuudes Linja
Oct. 13 - Riga, LV - Skaņu Mežs festival
Oct. 17 - Bratislava, SK - A4 Zero Space
Oct. 19 - Ljubljana, SI - Kino Siska
Oct. 20 - Istanbul, TR - Garajstanbul
Oct. 21 - Vienna, AT - Arena
Oct. 22 - Prague, CZ - Struny Podzimu Festival
Oct. 23 - Berlin, DE - Gretchen
Oct. 24 - Cologne, DE - Yuca
Oct. 26 - Dudingen, CH - Bad Bonn
Oct. 27 - Zurich, CH - Rote Fabrik
Oct. 28 - Geneva, CH - La Graviere
Oct. 30 - Paris, FR - Batofar
Oct. 31 - Lisbon, PT - Lux Fragil
Nov. 01 - Madrid, ES - Taboo
Nov. 02 - Barga, PT - Gnration
Nov. 03 - Dublin, IE - Sugar Club
Nov. 06 - London, UK - Oval Space
Nov. 07 - Manchester, UK - Deaf Institute
Nov. 08 - Glasgow, UK - Art School
Nov. 09 - Leeds, UK - Belgrave Music Hall
Nov. 10 - Brussels, BE - AB
Nov. 09-12 - Utrecht, NL - Le Guess Who? Festival
*w/ Porter Ray
