Former Faith No More frontman Mike Patton started his own record label, Ipecac Recordings, intending to purge the music industry of its banal artistic talent and provide an antidote. Take a quick look, and you’ll find out there isn’t a better man to do it. Patton’s legendary eccentricity is evident throughout his two-decade career from his proto-rap-rock cadences in the funk-metal stylings of Faith No More, to recordings of chopping vegetables, to a cover of Lionel Ritchie’s “Easy,” to his most recent project, Tomahawk. A visionary of sorts, Patton is unrelenting, which provides a sturdy foundation for dedicated independent acts who are sick of releasing their own 7” singles. A showcase of Ipecac’s diverse roster this Friday at the Black Cat offers a potpourri of Patton’s esteemed spawn.
Isis, which headlines the evening, seems an obvious choice for Patton. Branded a grindcore band with punk and hardcore aesthetics, Isis seems to be more of an experience than a musical masterpiece. Much like their genre labels imply, the band’s songs are mostly gruff power chords over fiercely screamed vocals: Think of a collaboration of Dash Con and Satan, with a little Helmet thrown in. They’re as black inside as their hair is outside.
Although Patton may have missed the mark with Isis, he proved his scouting astute by signing Dalek. Straight out of Newark, N.J., this threesome brings very unique and stylized talents, which make Dalek a true innovation in hip-hop. Not just rapping over old drum beats or samples, Dalek creates instead of merely producing. The group’s samplist, The Oktapus, manipulates both samples and vocals with streamlined precision, yet the sound is still raw enough to allow credibility to the prophetic lyrics. The group’s lyricist (from whom the band takes its name) draws upon the Beat Generation’s style of poetic fluidity and blunt descriptions of urban life. The band even pays homage to the Beats with a sample of William Burroughs. Turntablist Still impressed the act’s other two members while on a college tour by improvising on the decks, and his nimble and creative techniques complete the triad’s genre bending sound while constantly pushing the boundaries.
The Oxes open the evening. Although not a Ipecac band nor with any formal ties to Patton himself, it is the closest fans will get to the defunct Faith No More. This Baltimore-based band with an aggressively protective fan base is comparable to the all-instrumental Fucking Champs, if less masterful. Consisting mostly of cascading arpeggios and heavy power chords, the Oxes’ sound is the perfect sludge to rock to.
There should be an interesting cast of characters at the Black Cat on Friday, which is to be expected when Mike Patton is in charge. The potpourri of music allows for a little something for everyone, and if you can’t find anything, well, clearly you don’t care at all.
Black Cat is located at 1811 14th St., N.W.
