Maximum R 'n' R

>> Rhodes 'n' Rhythms puts the spotlight on turntables and the tinkly whites

by SCOTT C

Anyone who's been going to Montreal hip hop events over the years would probably be able to identify the unassuming enigma of a man who calls himself DJ Pocket. I would go as far as to say that this guy is somewhat of a legend in these parts based on how long he's been involved with various elements of the culture, including breakdancing, beat-boxing and an unorthodox and far-reaching turntablist career. "I just got back from a Canadian tour with a band from Ottawa called Swing," he explains. "It's like, very commercial stuff like the 'Achy Breaky Dance' with a Backstreet Boys beat and me scratching all over the place."

But crazy, cross-country tours aside, Pocket has recently teamed up with old friend and piano player Denis Raoul Hébert to record Rhodes 'n' Rhythms, a fine coupling of Fender Rhodes electric piano and scratching over drum loops. Piano-man Hébert has made a name for himself in Montreal and international music circles as well, founding the klezmer group Raoul in 1994, and winning a Felix for Group of the Year/World Music category in '96. "We share a studio," says Pocket. "It's like every hip hop kid's dream. We were just jamming with turntables and piano, and every time we would play I would say to myself, 'Wow, people should really hear this.'"

And hear it they will. The duo, both seasoned performers with combined stage appearances that number in the thousands, aim to bring their studio magic to a live audience with their new show. Kind of like Billy Joel and Elton John going head-to-head, but without the backup singers and the additional band. "When we have a singer or sax, or any other musicians in front of us, we've got to accompany them. We'd have to work for the singer, and the work of the piano and the turntables is secondary.

"This is a piano-turntablist show. We could have multi-media, dancers, clowns, stand-up comics, muppets or whatever--anything but other musicians to take the focus away from us."

At L'Alizé on Friday, April 6, 9pm, $10