Many describe E+E’s THE LIGHT THAT YOU GAVE ME TO SEE YOU as imbued with a biblical energy — an old testament setting, where fragmented R&B is a soundtrack for sacrificial rituals, the raising of daggers during big (godly) moments. I think that’s right on. But, of course, the record is more than that too. The “biblical energy” is one out of potentially 1,000 references flying into your ears at any given moment during the densest sections of E+E’s music. I think the “biblical” analogy suggests more of a general “hugeness” that has become Elijah Crampton’s signature. It’s a hugeness found in the most epic of anime fight scenes, in Daddy Yankee’s voice, in Heideggerian mumbo jumbo, and/or in conceptual freedom.
“Axacan” takes the sound palette from one of my favorite E+E pieces, “BIG-FIRE,” and gives it (a bit) more space to breathe. At first, the track thunderously cracks off at a classical 110%, complete with Lil Jon’s “YEAHs” and radio DJ fanfare. Soon enough, there’s a dip into a different drama — perhaps less violently transcendental and more directly emotional. Glassy E piano, a steady calypso beat, and subtle horn-play chorus a heavy-hearted ride off into a blood-red sunset. I could analytically list all the components of the “semiotic banquet” I encountered throughout, but to avoid more shopping lists, I’ll describe the experience as similar to that one scene in Princess Mononoke, when the characters encounter the Forest Spirit for the first time. But, the Forest Spirit is more of a DESERT Spirit who pours mezcal from its head and lives deep within an old, but still gently poppin’ club.
The piece is dedicated to José Esteban Muñoz, a champion of queer and minority voices within critical theory and performance studies, and it was commissioned by radical artists Wu Tsang and Boychild for non-profit art center DiverseWorks. Beautiful.
• E+E: http://eande.bandcamp.com
• DiverseWorks: http://www.diverseworks.org
More about: E+E
