Cadence Weapon and Emma Gabriel Bring Hip-Hop and Alt-R&B to Soundscape Ottawa

Last night I finally got a chance to check out Soundscape Ottawa, a new four-week immersive music and arts festival transforming the historic Plaza Bridge into a unique combination of live music, art and an immersive light experience.
I decided to check out the September 12 show, which featured The Halluci Nation as the headliner.
Unfortunately, I had another engagement and had to miss their set, which I’ll be covering in my next post.
However, I still managed to catch two great performances from Cadence Weapon and Emma Gabriel.

Opening up the evening was Ottawa-based musician Emma Gabriel, who got things moving with a mix of alt-R&B and dance music.
Her set was a great introduction to the evening, bringing a smooth but energetic vibe to the Plaza Bridge while the immersive visuals provided an interesting backdrop.

Next up was Edmonton-born, Toronto-based rapper and musician Cadence Weapon, who delivered a great set of hip-hop.
He performed a slew of material from his latest album, Forager, along with tracks spanning his career, including songs from the Polaris Music Prize-winning Parallel World, Breaking Kayfabe, Hope in Dirt City and more.
It was also cool to see Hua Li 化力 behind the decks as the DJ for Cadence Weapon’s set, adding another great element to the performance.

Overall, Soundscape Ottawa was a cool way to experience live music while taking in the immersive light show surrounding the historic Plaza Bridge.
The combination of music, art and visuals makes for a different kind of concert experience and a great way to spend an evening in Ottawa.
Soundscape Ottawa continues for four weeks and runs until September 26, with a big closing show planned to wrap things up.
If you get the chance, I recommend checking it out before it ends.

Check out the gallery.