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Shabazz Palaces, the famous “abstract” hip-hop project led by Ishmael Butler, is currently preparing the release of a new album, Robed in Rareness, to be released on October 27 on Sub Pop. In the meantime, the Seattle-based outfit makes a stop in Montreal this Friday to perform at Entrepôt 77. We spoke to Ishmael Butler about his unique discography and his upcoming show as part of the Montreal Pop Festival on September 29.
PAN M 360: The Don of Diamond Dreams was released at the very beginning of COVID-19’s arrival in North America. Has anything changed in your artistic approach since then?
Ishmael Butler: Not radically. I’m still touring, I’m still playing… During the pandemic, I practiced a lot on bass, guitar and keyboard, so… Nothing’s really changed, except that I’m learning more, I’m a little more comfortable, a little more skilled. Obviously, I’ve watched more films, listened to more music. I just learned and integrated the things I learned as I went along, you know what I mean? But nothing decisive like… oh this happened or that happened! No, nothing like that.
PAN M 360: What can you tell us about the album Illusions Ago, which was produced in collaboration with Lavarr the Starr. It’s also the first release on your own Glass Cane label.Who is Lavarr the Starr and how did this collaboration come about?
Ishmael Butler: I met Lavarr at a Shabazz concert in Detroit.He was too young to get into the room, so he waited outside and talked to me for a little while. An impressive young man!He told me he loved music and sent me some of his compositions.I’d been wanting to collaborate with him and help him release his music for some time, as I liked his singing and rapping style, as well as his production style.So I was able to help him shape his work, pay for a better studio and enable him to release his album on Glass Cane Records.
PAN M 360: You’ll soon be releasing a new album, Robed in Rareness.What musical ideas or themes inspired these new songs?
Ishmael Butler: You know… Robed in Rareness has a lot of features. I let the people on it make the songs their own. I don’t do a lot of collaborations like that, not because I don’t like a lot of artists, but because I feel the collaborations are very intimate. I don’t feel at ease with musicians as quickly as others.
These are people I’ve known for years. Now I collaborate with them, including my son Lil Tracy, O Finess, Porter Ray and Royce The Choice.These are people I’ve known and been around music for a long time. They’re my friends and I wanted to put them forward and show the diversity of my production skills.So that’s what Robed in Rareness and the next album, due out in January, are all about: collaborations.
PAN M 360: Your music has a calming effect, immediately evoked by the repeated “Slow Down” at the start of Binoculars. Is this something you’re conscious of when composing and producing?
Ishmael Butler: I think it’s my instinct, because a lot of the music I like, I feel that way.So I think it’s a taste, an instinct, a predisposition, a characteristic of the things I like in art. Painting, cinema, dance, things that are soft, strong and distinct… but also a bit chill.
PAN M 360: Lese Majesty will soon be 10 years old. From the fans’ point of view, this album is already a classic.What are your impressions when you look back on this album?Does it have any special significance for you?
Ishmael Butler: I think so. Shabazz Palaces was sort of the second or third act of my career. I never thought I’d be making music commercially again. I was making this music at home, as a hobby, and then I self-published it. Thanks to these self-produced albums, I was able to sign a contract with Sub Pop and release the first album Black Up. So Lese Majesty was like a solidification of this second act in my career – after Digable Planets. I’m proud of it and it’s exciting to think about. I like a lot of the songs, you know? It’s a great moment for me in my career.
Pan M 360: What can fans expect at your next Pop Montreal show? Will you be performing mostly Robed in Rareness, or perhaps some more recent material?
Ishmael Butler: It’s songs from all the Shabazz albums. When I play, I don’t like to do the songs the way I did them on the album. We try to use the album as a starting point and do something new and creative… and familiar, but also put a new spin on what’s already been released so people get something cool, not just a performance of something they’ve heard before.
PAN M 360: Will you be accompanied by musicians or other artists?
Ishmael Butler: There will be five of us on stage.
PAN M 360: A few words for Montreal fans?
Shabazz Palaces: I’ve been to Montreal four or five times and I’ve always had a good time.
I really like the city, the atmosphere… I’ve been to a few afterparties and been able to fraternize… and really be charmed by the city.When we found out we were coming here, everyone was excited.I think it’s going to be a good gig.I know we’re going to bring a lot of positive energy and a lot of excitement on our part, so I hope we have a good exchange and a good concert.
PAN M 360: Thank you!
Ishmael Butler: Nice, that’s good!Take care, bye.
SHABAZZ PALACES IS PERFORMING ON FRIDAY SEP 29, ENTREPÔT 77, 6 PM
