A grown and sophisticated crowd was on hand last night to greet the Foreign Exchange, the R&B outfit headed by producer Nicolay and vocalist Phonte, for their very first Seattle appearance. With two synths and a powerhouse collection of singers, the Foreign Exchange jammed out for over two hours, managing to blend the sensuality of R&B and the liveliness of hip-hop to produce an impressive night of music and a very entertaining platform for the enigmatic, bow-tied Phonte. While Phonte's better known project, rap duo Little Brother, often attracts a younger and more self-consciously underground audience, last night's crowd was mature, attentive, and filled with couples who responded enthusiastically to the Foreign Exchange's smooth and unabashedly soulful sound. "This isn't just music, this is a ministry," said Phonte after one of his many tangents on the art of love, and judging by the hands in the air, he was preaching to the choir.
Opening was local hip-hop group the Physics; performing for the first time with a live band, the live instrumentation brought out the melodic personality and thoughtful, intricate composition exhibited by their latest project, the High Society EP. With producer Justo behind the turntables and sometimes popping out to rap along, MC Thig Natural capably led a collective of two backup vocalists and a very talented trio of musicians, resulting in perhaps the Physics' strongest performance to date. The major disappointment was the absence of Monk Wordsmith, the Physics' second MC who was unable to perform due to an out-of-town work conflict. While Thig valiantly rapped his brother's lines and sustained the energy of the band, Monk's laid-back confidence would only have enriched and enlivened their performance, missed most on songs like "Callin' Out" and "Back Track." The crowd was won over by the playful ditties of "I Just Wanna Beat" and "I Heart Beer," and had a great response to the closing and ridiculously catchy "Ready For We" off their debut FutureTalk. I overheard one audience member, who was hearing the group for the first time, excitedly refer to the Physics as "Outkasty." With a live band, the Physics distinguish themselves even more as a group with consistent and quality musicality as well as lyricism, a standard to which other local hip-hop groups should aspire.
