Remember Face performing at Fred’s Wildlife Refuge. // Photo by Mussie Simon

The room was mellow on November 9th. Fred’s Wildlife Refuge is a venue that has soft, lush colors to complement a show with such intimate acts. Upon entering, I was greeted with the hard punk vibes of Nauticult. Because the harsh sound penetrated the space with angst and rage, I took a seat in the back to observe — an ethnography of sorts.

Besides the obvious metal aspect of their performance, lead singer Austin Sankey experimented with some rhymes to prove the band’s place on the mostly hip-hop bill for tonight was valid. A light group of moshers propelled Sankey to another level, coming alive with some crowd interaction and involvement. Foreign to these types of performances, I was hooked — I needed to go headbang with the other patrons.

If Nauticult was the early pre-funk of the night, AJ Suede didn’t need much introduction. The Seattle rapper — by way of East Harlem – built upon the former act’s energy with some raspy bars that mixed experience with wokeness. A part of the FRMNDS collective, his records mirror the group’s outlook on the arts: musical, visual, aesthetic. At this point in the night, I claimed my position inches away from the rapper to capture the vibe. The sinister aura Suede exuded allowed the music to creep into my conscious. The Denzel Curry of underground, the witty bars were enough to engage the crowd with perspective and creativity.

In between sets, a calm DJ by the name of OCnotes was stashed away in a distant booth to fill the space with a tasteful ambiance. Since it was a mostly hip-hop show, Notes spun some 90’s hip-hop samples to fill the atmosphere with feel-good music and a smooth transition from act to act.

At the penultimate hour of the night, the Vizard creators took the stage. Rapper Chima Abuachi and producer Andrew Savoie form the duo that is Remember Face, a hip-hop experiment that meshes well…but why? It’s simple: Savoie supplies heavy synths and bass that might blow the speakers out while Abuachi’s intonation supplies the rhymes that attack the beat from five different angles. The clan donned white-clad outfits, and Abuachi sported red-tinted glasses; reminiscent of a Black Panther suit, albeit being in all white. The Nigerian-born rapper can reach into the musical history of his African roots and craft it into a neo-rap that complements Savoie’s scoring effortlessly.

The level of showmanship they possessed is difficult to encapsulate in words. After first listening to their October 18th album release Vizard, I was more than excited to experience the sounds live — just streaming the album through my headphones couldn’t do it enough justice. The opening track “And She Shall Appear” was the perfect intro to a set that continually got better and more exciting, track after track. Overall, it was a night of local hip-hop that reminded me why I love Seattle and our indescribable innovation on the conventional norms of music.

Guayaba also performed at this show but has asked to be omitted from Dan’s Tunes reviews.

By Mussie Simon