DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist | 07.17 | NYC
By Team JamBase Jul 23, 2008 • 6:06 pm PDT

DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist :: 07.17.08 :: McCarren Park Pool :: New York, NY
![]() |
Though they’ve each managed to forge careers primarily on separate paths, the two are no strangers to each other, having collaborated intermittently over the past ten years. With a unified relationship already established, their joint mini-tour, “The Hard Sell,” was, by no means, their first time sharing a stage. Their visit to Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool, however, didn’t quite deliver as overwhelmingly as one would expect from these two record-scratching phenoms. Despite more record changing than most non-DJs will handle in a year’s time and plenty of notable high points, the show failed to fully exemplify the potential of Shadow and Chemist’s converging powers.
The concept for “The Hard Sell” was for the two turntablists to create a complete live performance using only 7-inch, 45-rpm singles, as opposed to the larger, more commonly used and easier-to-spin 10 or 12 inch 33 1/3-rpm records. Additionally, they’d be using only their eight turntables along with echo machines and loops – no digital effects whatsoever. Given the level of difficulty involved in such a project and the flawless execution with which it was performed, much credit is due to the duo for their innovation alone, and this rare approach must be kept in mind in assessing their efforts.
![]() |
The show reached lengths most other DJs wouldn’t dare even dabble with: The closing portion of Led Zeppelin‘s “Stairway to Heaven” led the charge on one eclectic exploration, while Jefferson Airplane‘s “Don’t You Want Somebody to Love?” headed another. Bits and pieces of backwoods bluegrass, metal, vintage and modern hip-hop, electronica and even ’50s doo-wop found their way into the odd conglomerate (e.g. robotic voice singing “Rock Around the House Tonight”). Yet the constantly changing landscape produced the feel that nothing could be settled on, and there were scant opportunities for either DJ to showcase his raw scratching abilities. Making it even more difficult to find a groove was the utter lack of crowd participation. McCarren Park Pool – once a gargantuan town pool for local Brooklyn neighborhoods that was drained and converted into a venue last year – has the chance to become a premiere outdoor venue in the NYC area. But, the few thousand concertgoers didn’t embrace the unique setting or the music being played there. They appeared more mummified than captivated, with most crowd movement concentrated on filming the show rather than actually participating in it.
![]() |
DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist will no doubt proceed and progress in their respective solo careers as two turntable specialists atop the apex of the scene. They’ve proven themselves more than capable on their own in the studio and in a live setting, and have joined forces in the past in both settings with overly positive results. As with any experimentation, it’s impossible for all to be golden. Although the show didn’t do either the justice they deserved, expect much to come from these two in the future, both individually and collectively.
JamBase | NYC
Go See Live Music!