Well-Rounded Set by Chemist, DJ Shadow

At the start of his performance with Jurassic 5’s Cut Chemist on Saturday at the Knitting Factory, DJ Shadow promised to take the capacity crowd on a journey that would start out low, work its way up and come full circle at the end.

Working under the name Product Placement, Shadow and Chemist (along with guest appearances by other members of Jurassic 5) made good on the vow. Armed with two turntables apiece, the pair did keep it low-key in the early going, easing the crowd into their vision with subdued, ambient tones. They quickly kicked it up with Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love,” filtered through the Shadow and Chemist scratch machine.

The turntable exhibitions were frequent and performed with impressive dexterity, particularly by Chemist, who worked the 45-singles as if they were keyboards. Each artist was given plenty of opportunity to shine though, as the pair’s teamwork and generosity were abundant despite the fact this was only the third time they’d performed this complex set together.

Though it was the lure of Shadow that sold out two nights at the venue, no one seemed disappointed by the time Product Placement made its way full circle, coming back from the soul, jazz, funk and heavily psychedelic grooves, to Shadow’s ambient closing.