Shabazz Palaces - The Don of Diamond Dreams – alchemy in a world of algorithms

The Guardian 0

(Sub Pop)
Divided between familiar territories and intangible unknowns, Ishmael Butler proves fascinatingly elusive on this uneven record

Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler’s days as part of Grammy-winning golden age hip-hop group Digable Planets are almost out of sight. Few in music – let alone in rap – are granted a shot at a second coming, so when the trio first parted ways in 1995 and Butler moved back to Seattle, he could have been forgiven for thinking that was that. However, on meeting multi-instrumentalist Tendai Maraire (son of mbira maestro Dumisani Maraire, and not part of this new record), the two embarked on a collaboration that would reinvigorate Butler’s desire to release music and rejuvenate interest in fringe hip-hop styles. As Shabazz Palaces, the pair have invested more than a decade into their singular vision for rap; one that travels in both directions along any axis.

Related: 'We feel like aliens': Shabazz Palaces, the hip-hop duo beamed in from another planet