The Science of Silence

There was a point a few years back when hip-hop and hipsterism collided. It was inevitable: the music had spread from the inner city to the suburbs, and rather than turntables and old-school samplers, new acolytes took up laptops and actual instruments to voice their vision of hip-hop's future. At...

By Jonathan Zwickel

September 15, 2005

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There was a point a few years back when hip-hop and hipsterism collided. It was inevitable: the music had spread from the inner city to the suburbs, and rather than turntables and old-school samplers, new acolytes took up laptops and actual instruments to voice their vision of hip-hop's future. At the fore of this emerging sound was -- and still is -- Scott Herren, who records under a rogue's gallery of guises, the best-known of which is Prefuse 73. The Atlanta-bred Herren is a sort of beat-driven sonic collagist; his work doesn't follow the traditional rules of hip-hop or pop but instead embraces an experimental, often impressionistic ethic that's both innovative and totally engrossing. Far from a wankish or meandering auteur, Herren is proficient on several instruments and has worked closely with a wide variety of underground luminaries. Surrounded by Silence, his third official release under the Prefuse 73 moniker, came out this spring and featured appearances by Ghostface Killer, Masta Killa, Aesop Rock, and more. Tonight he performs his enigmatic audio alchemy accompanied by two drummers. Expect a rhythmic blizzard, electronic symphonics, and other head-nodding, eyebrow-raising stuff.

Prefuse 73 plays at 11 p.m., Saturday, September 17, at I/O, 30 NE 14th St., Miami. Tickets cost $12 advance or $15 at the door. Call 305-358-8007.

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