The duo of Doseone and Jel, who, after conquering the world of post-postmodern conceptualized art-rock as crucial members of Subtle, are returning to their more hip-hop flavored roots by bringing Themselves back after a six-year hiatus. Yes, it probably does have something to do with the recent 10-year anniversary of anticon., as Themselves have long been a flagship act for the label.
First off, the duo will be releasing a free mix tape, titled FREEhoudini, which will be dropping “in various places around the internets” in early March. Whoops! Am I too late?? The mix tape features a bevy of guests, including Slug, Aesop Rock, Busdriver, WHY?, Buck 65, Passage, DJ Baku, Alias, Pedestrian, Sole, Serengeti, D Styles, and The Lionesque. Doesone describes the music on FREEhoudini as “an inspired Themselves rendition of the classic mix-tape medium, housing a medley of original music, it features every rapper we have ever shared a cause with in the past decade. It is also a gift, for these curious times in the consumption of music."
In August, Themselves plan to release their third (official) full-length album, titled CrownsDown. When pressed for more information, Doseone only offered a cryptic tease: "CrownsDown is our statue -- to rap as it reared us -- and the arch and arrow, of what it is to be us, in a decade of music made and the temperature of these two thousands." Trippy stuff, dudes!
Finally, Themselves have recently completed a handful of shows at SXSW and are about to embark on a North American tour that'll lead them to Coachella
03.25.09 - St. Louis, MO - Firebird
03.26.09 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
03.27.09 - Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room at Crofoot Ballroom
03.28.09 - Toronto, ON - Sneaky Dee’s
03.29.09 - Montreal, Quebec - Club Lambi
04.01.09 - Allston, MA - Great Scott
04.02.09 - Princeton, NJ - Terrace F. Club at Princeton University
04.03.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Pool
04.04.09 - New York, NY - The Studio at Webster Hall
04.06.09 - Philadelphia, PA - The Barbary w/ Pattern Is Movement
04.07.09 - Washington DC - DC9
04.08.09 - Blackburg, VA - The Lantern
04.09.09 - Atlanta, GA - 529
04.10.09 - Birmingham, AL - Bottletree Cafe
04.11.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
04.13.09 - Denton, TX - Hailey’s
04.14.09 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
04.19.09 - Indio, CA - Coachella
05.05.09 - Brussels, Brussels-capital - Ancienne Belgique