Portland producer and rapper Ohmega Watts bears an uncanny resemblance to Dave Chappelle. It‘s oddly appropriate, because Watts‘ earthy, kickin-it-on-the-corner cuts would stand up well alongside the other music the comedian features on his hit show. On his debut The Find, Watts shows off his range, creating dusty RJD2 jams, spacey neo-soul swirls, and Jurassic 5 funk while working with a varied group of nearly 20 guest MCs. The fact that, for the most part, he effectively plays to the strengths of that many rappers underlines his versatility and skill.
Symbolyc & Illmind The Art Of Onemind
Long-distance music collaborations (see Foreign Exchange and Postal Service) have been hyped for their unorthodox approach to making music. But Texan Symbolyc One and New Jersey native Illmind make damn sure you know they‘re a geographically-challenged duo on their debut, The Art of Onemind, including a set of bland testimonials and work-related voicemails on the album. Who cares? But any momentary annoyance is alleviated by the sincere, shuffling set of polished tracks. A steady one-two kick sets the pace, augmented with warm keyboards, elevating string samples, and glittering, rubbery synths. It‘s just plain pretty production that doesn‘t require all the sweet-talking.
The Dining Rooms Experiments In Ambient Soul
Downtempo albums often get compared to movie soundtracks-both types of music, unless they‘re done incredibly well, come across as innocuous and forgetful, sinking into the background like a wilting wallflower. Perhaps in an attempt to escape this particular dilemma, Italian duo The Dining Rooms recorded their latest album, Experiments in Ambient Soul, with live instruments. While it gives this genre-hopper album a little more presence, overall the album is about as edgy as a Nerf sword. The Dining Rooms aim for grandeur, but their tight arrangements sound like something that‘s been heard many times before.
Various Artists Mark Rae: Ode to a Dying DJ
Mixes from Mark Rae-one half of Mancs Rae & Christian, known for producing Northern Sulphuric Soul on Rae‘s Grand Central label-mixes always have the cocksure strut of a blaxploitation film, and Dying DJ is no different, especially when he throws down Cecile‘s “Hot Like We,” Fingathing‘s “Walk in Space,” and ARP‘s “Dirty Shirt.” Clapping hip-hop, buttery broken beat, hazy funk, earthy ska, dub, and dancehall all get their due as Rae takes this opportunity to nice up the dance, his trunk-rattling, skanking selections bridging a gap from classic toasting to A Tribe Called Quest-vibe MCing.
Alarm Will Sound Acoustica
When I imagine Richard D. James-a.k.a. Aphex Twin, Polygon Window, et. al.-it is always as a leering puppet master tethered to electro-acoustically scrambled computer monitors and pianos strangled as if by garrote. So for Alarm Will Sound-a New York-based 22-piece orchestra-to record all acoustic arrangements of James‘ works (primarily off 2001‘s Drukqs and 1996‘s Richard D. James Album) only seems fitting. I can equally imagine the Alarm ensemble pivoting frenetically and with finesse, fingers to their own steely filaments as they find compelling counterpoints in CPU-chipped chaos and detune through a home improvement store‘s worth of tonal transmogrification.
Various Artists Southport Weekender Vol. 3
Dimitri from Paris shines on this three-disc set, with great pacing and mixing that highlights eminently danceable vocal-leaning house. Quentin Harris, the Detroit-born hip-hop artist turned New York house remixer/producer, contributes a more laid-back disc. But it‘s Jazzie B who delivers the best programming, a mix of soulful classics from luminaries like Roy Ayers, James Brown, and Marvin Gaye (and Jazzie‘s own Soul II Soul) and the occasional more modern cut, like two tracks from Wookie (“Down on Me” and, with Lain, “Battle”). Not always as smooth as it could be, the set nonetheless offers plenty.
Princess Superstar My Machine
Princess Superstar‘s never lacked chutzpah (subtlety, yes), so the “I wanna be famous” chorus on “Famous” rings true. But this album-a collision of hip-hop, electro, and punk rock-dissects fame more deeply, too; a “concept album,” the tracks revolve around a future where PS clones herself repeatedly and takes over the celebrity world. Sometimes this works-the interludes are hilarious-and sometimes, with all the supposed time traveling, it‘s just confusing. One of the best tracks, “Quitting Smoking Song,” doesn‘t even stick to the premise, but as long as she‘s this good, who cares?
Mobius Band The Loving Sounds of Static
Their creation myth (hick band moves to big city and writes about the adjustment, as laid out on their City VS Country EP) isn‘t all that fascinating but the band‘s sound is interesting enough at first to grab you, and by the last cut, “Do Wop,” you‘ve heard enough glockenspiel to buy their whole spiel. You can‘t help but notice the Weezer-like sincerity of Ben Sterling‘s vocals, though Jimmy Tamborello certainly comes to mind. In fact, their Postal Service-esque combination of electronics and emo completely works-in some cases even better because they‘re not as programmed as they are fucked up, as their languid sound proves.
APSCI Thanks For Asking
While not nearly as revolutionary as you think they think they are (no more cookie-puss harmonizer, please), one has to admit APSCI has applied some science to their mix of electronic noise, hip-hop, and pop-and some of this is pretty experimental science at that. The duo indulges their sci-fi leanings by using Godzilla samples and other laboratory studio chemisty. And while radioactive amalgamations like this often end up as tragic novelties, there‘s something about this couple/band-Boogie Down Bronxian Rafael LaMotta and Down Under‘s Dana Diaz-that suggests they‘re the real deal.
Paris Zax Unpath‘d Waters
A beer, a bowl, and a beat is all Paris Zax needs to take you to soundtrackville. But this ain‘t no blockbuster he‘s scoring (though he‘s got skills like Spielberg); we‘re talking a smoke-filled screen and an anamorphic-lensed classic. His noir notions were evident on his early work for Cal Arts student films, but the native Los Angeleno quickly found fans among the indigenous hip-hop scene, providing jazzy soundscapes for the likes of Busdriver, Blackbird, and The Shapeshifters. Paris is ready for his close-up and Unpath‘d Waters is easily one of the best instrumental hip-hop/downtempo albums of the year.
