Brian Knowles
Scenes From Last Night's Deltron 3030 Show at Trees.
The year is 2014. That's what the calendar says, at least.
But, last night, Dallas was living in the year 3030.
This furious foray into the future was heralded by renowned Afrofuturist Del the Funky Homosapien, reprising his role in Deltron 3030 alongside the similarly acclaimed Dan the Automator and Kid Koala for a gig at Trees. And it was good.
Before going back to the future, however, the present was represented loud and clear with support from Dallas all-star production duo Booty Fade. DJ Sober and Richard “Picnic” Escobedo set the bass-heavy beat to fast_forward with their masterful mesh of cumbia, reggaeton, hip-hop and electronica.
Kid Koala took over after Booty Fade, and he proceeded to put on a small clinic in the art of turntablism. And, beyond his mind-blowing sample usage and abstract style of delivery, lies a jokester and a storyteller: His blends took turns to Deep South blues, the trap sounds of “Higher Ground” by TNGHT and ended with a dedication to his mom when he played her favorite song, “Moon River.”
Then, after a small intermission, a familiar laugh cackled through the speakers. Deltron 3030, that joyous sound signaled, was ready to hit the stage.
With skateboard, drink and smoke in hand, Del the Funky Homosapien appeared first. His words started off rather celebratory, too, as he cheerfully announced the return of Deltron. By the end of “Positive Contact,” though, his lyrics had turned into a spell. He wove his way through “State of the Nation” and, by the time he got to “Virus,” the crowd was singing and cheering along. Del spat line after line and he'd then pause to drop only more vocal jewels. The crowd was so physically into it, you'd think fools out there were doing their best Scrooge McDuck Money Bin swim impersonations.
Later, Dan the Automator addressed the crowd before leading a cheerful round of “Nobody Can” from the group's new The Event 2 album. The hands and voices lifted up almost higher than the spirits. It was a special display
When the end of the set came, the cry for more was met with a special treat: As a nod to some of these performers' other incarnations, Deltron closed out with their Gorillaz assist, “Clint Eastwood,” thus tying the past and present together quite nicely.
Then, after packing up the skateboard and offering a few daps, Del, Dan and Kid Koala left Dallas, having shown no signs of slipping from their long-held superhero statuses.
The future, with the guys at least, is and always has been now.
