Aside from the mild hysteria surrounding the Spring Fling artist announcement (and the inevitable disappointment), most Penn students remain unaware of a generally brilliant crop of indie and hip–hop shows put on by SPEC each year.
The latest in this series comes to The ARCH tonight, courtesy of SPEC Jazz + Grooves and IMG. With a focus on instrumental production, SPEC has conglomerated three artists from different poles of this loose genre. Headliner RJD2 is an acclaimed turntablist whose debut, 2002’s Dead Ringer, has become somewhat of a seminal album in the instrumental hip–hop world.
Openers Gold Panda and Dam Mantle are rising acts from across the pond — their production reflects a jittery British take on electronic music. This is the first–ever show in the intimate confines of The ARCH, which should make for an interesting experiment. Tickets are being sold on Locust all day if weather permits.
RJD2 with Gold Panda and Dam Mantle 3/31, $10 The ARCH (36th and Locust)
