PHOTOS OF ABSTRACT GIANTS BY KURT SWANSON
E-MAIL: kurtswanson@juno.com
Hip hop band. It's not too common to see those three words written in that
order, is it? When you do, more often than not you'll be reading about Philly
innovators The Roots. You can understand my excitement when I realized that
we've now got our own version of that legendary group right here in our
backyard. ….. [the abstract giants] all immensely talented, and upon first
listen, you'd think the band has been playing together forever. Amazingly, it's
only been about two years since the group's inception.
Ladies and gentlemen, there's finally a reason for you to take that copy of The
Low End Theory out of your CD player. The golden era of hip hop may be long
gone, but the Giants are truly the next big thing.
---Spencer Lokken, Chicago Innerview magazine Feb. 2004
This expansive, eight-member outfit might not be the future of hip-hop, but they
are definitely pointing the way. Plugging out an increasingly eclectic take on
the genre, these Chicago natives blend a dozen music forms into the
traditionally beats-and-drums music, flexing above-average rhyming skills over
the top. …….just know that the act goes leagues beyond the same old funk-sample
hip-hop, blending in pieces and parts of rock, various world musics and even a
kind of free-form acid jazz that's awash with creativity. Completely worth
seeing, especially considering the live element they bring (keyboards, strings,
live percussion, bass) to set them apart from the turntable-microphone cliché.
----Dave Chamberlain, New City Music Magazine Dec. 2004