Last Night: U-N-I at Chop Suey

U-N-I, the L.A. headliners at last night's show at Chop Suey, is the profoundly West Coast hiphop equivalent of human superficial fascia: loosely, intricately webbed, sticky, and pliable. Tricky, surprising beats backed Thurzday and Y-O's tight rap in a dizzying but relaxed kind of way. The night was solid for such an unsung show, with performances from some of 2008's most promising local acts: J. Pinder (his ballsy, impeccable timing meshing perfectly with high-power Vitamin D beats), the infectiously vibrant GMK, and Stranger fave The Physics.

The crowd was an interestingly young variation on the usual mix of Seattle's hiphop supporters. Local artist and U-N-I fan Nam named it: "It's the young hipster crowd." Maybe it was U-N-I's L.A. status that brought out a fresh crop of fans. Their bright, eccentric work certainly contrasted with the satisfying rockn'roll crunch and the stylized swag we're seeing these days in Seattle. Check out U-N-I's single, "K.R.E.A.M.", and one of Nam's favorites from them, "Beautiful Day."

Tonight: Celebrate the birthday of On A Mission Entertainment masterminds Ryan and Doug at Chop Suey, for FREE, with appearances promised from D. Black, Jay Barz, Grynch, GMK, Neema, and Kublakai. Buy the guys a drink, and buy your own "Wake Up And Smell The Hiphop" shirt to gain certified Supporter status. And tomorrow night (this week's packed, for undiscernable reasons, with hiphop): Saigon, Cancer Rising, and Dyme Def at Neumos.

photo care of U-N-I's MySpace page

Tonight // Ryan & Doug's B-Day Bash // 7pm // Chop Suey // 1325 E. Madison // Free // 21+
Wednesday // Saigon // 8pm // Neumos // 925 E. Pike // $20 adv // All-Ages