MIKE PATTON VS. RAHZEL

MIKE PATTON VS. RAHZEL is a captivating collaboration between two of the world’s greatest vocal performers. Mike Patton’s prolific music portfolio is extremely diverse due to his versatile vocal ability. He was former frontman of Faith No More and has just recently announced his departure from an eighteen year relationship with his high-school art-rock band Mr. Bungle. Throughout his collaborative works he has touched upon every musical style imaginable and has developed a worldwide fan base. Mike Patton’s vocal contortions still continue in Fantomas, Tomahawk, Lovage, Peeping Tom, and a multitude of side-projects. Rahzel has mastered the quintessential art of human beat-boxing and is undisputed “Godfather Of Noyze”. This vocal percussionist is best known as a member of hip-hop’s cutting-edge live band The Roots. Rahzel’s fascinating rhythmical beats are produced only using highly trained vocal apparatus. He is able to accurately recreate a variety of sounds from vinyl scratches to instrumental loops.

Together Mike Patton and Rahzel have displayed their vocal montages throughout North American tours of the East and West Coasts. They’re now on a European tour where the vocal duo have been gracing the stages of major U.K. music festivals in Reading and Leeds. During their phenomenal performance at London’s Mean Fiddler, various songs were churned through the Patton Vs. Rahzel blender. With freshly adopted street name, Mike P. arrived on stage wearing baggy combats, Oakland Athletics top, and reversed baseball cap sporting the logo of the San Francisco Giants. Rahzel laid down the beats while Mike Patton crooned to Chet Baker’s “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and “The Thrill Is Gone”. These two love songs were also covered during Mr. Bungle’s live tours for their albums “Disco Volante” and “California”. Additional vocalized covers were “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” by The Temptations, “Groupie Love” by G-Unit, and “Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy” by Ice-T.

Mike Patton and Rahzel rapped original lyrics to “My DJ” and “Your Ass”, which included regular call backs with the crowd. Mike Patton would start the audience off with simple shouts and ask them to follow his lead. After a few returns, Patton would blast into vocal gibberish, familiar to fans of his solo release “Adult Themes For Voice” and the self-titled album from Fantomas. The crowd loved witnessing Mike Patton’s various vocal manipulations and hilarious facial expessions. Plenty of audience participation made the crowd an integral part of the Mike Patton Vs. Rahzel performance. The usual on-stage banter with the audience was initiated by Patton condemning the lairy British crowd as all “sheep shaggers!”. Rahzel proceeded to state a unique philosophy regarding a litmus test with female panties. This hardcore subject matter was bizarrely balanced with romantic lyrical content. Rahzel performed his very own love song “If Your Mother Only Knew”, which includes a triple layered vocal harmony with beat, bass-line, and chorus. A disturbingly brilliant display of Rahzel’s unbelievable talents as a vocal performer.

Mike Patton used original backing tracks from his home studio recordings to compliment the live vocal overdubs and noise effects. A crying baby sample was a familiar element previously used during a live ballad by Moonraker, comprising of Mike Patton, Buckethead, and DJ Flare. A similar sound can also be heard on the studio cover of Krzystzof Komeda’s “Rosemary’s Baby” by Fantomas. Further sequenced samples included carousel music from a fairground attraction, reworked with Mike Patton’s evil chuckles and haunting laughter. Apparently, Mike Patton had suffered from food poisoning just before the previous night’s show in Amsterdam. He blamed it on some “funky fish and chips”, yet continued to showcase an impressive ability to perform a diverse vocal range. The performance lasted just over an hour, Mike Patton and Rahzel concluding with the 2003 hip-hop anthem, 50 Cent’s “In Da Club”. With a wealth of cover songs, these special collaborations with Rahzel are quickly becoming essential collector’s items for online traders of Mike Patton live rarities.

Both Mike Patton and Rahzel Brown feature on Bjork’s latest album “Medulla”, released August 31, 2004. A cappella soundscapes written by Bjork and coloured by various vocal performers. Patton and Rahzel contribute to “Pleasure Is All Mine” and “Where Is The Line”, with Rahzel beat boxing on an additional three tracks for this vocally driven release.

Selected Discography