The lead single off CBD‘s excellent fourth album, Begborrowsteel, “Down Easy” is a deliciously mellow number that begins with a dusty reggae intro before morphing into a smoothed-out heartache jam. Soft kicks and tender guitars lay the foundation for the Count‘s laid-back singing, a casual style that sounds like a less bugged-out Dudley Perkins.
I.T. (Infinito & Thaione) Low Income Housing
Hailing from Chicago‘s Southside, Infinito and Thaione could very well be the next Windy City warriors to break through into the national consciousness. Though they‘ve put out other projects individually, Low Income Housing is their debut as a group, highlighting their skills on the mic (mostly Infinito) and with the beats (mostly Thaione). Soulful, loop-driven production drives rhymes that are smart without being preachy, extolling the virtues of self-empowerment and real hip-hop. “Casual Liberation,” “You Are Not It,” and the horn and clap-driven “My Life Creation #63” are standouts, but the whole LP is sharp. Keep an eye on these cats.
Channel Live Mr. President
Hard to believe it‘s been a decade since Channel Live dropped their classic single “Mad Izm” with KRS. Despite such a grand debut, they‘ve been pretty much MIA since then, occasionally resurfacing to the collective shrugs of listeners. Their latest comeback attempt is a decent string-propelled jam shitting on Bush, but the kiddie chorus is kind of corny, and the B-side is just terrible.
Shortie No Mass Like This
After a star turn on De La‘s Buhloone Mind State Shortie No Mass seemed destined to blow up. Then she quietly faded away. Now, 12 years later, we get this top-notch single (originally recorded at D&D circa ‘95). Rockwilder gives her a chunky, bass-heavy beat for the re-introductory anthem “Like This,” while Da Beatminerz bring the heat on “U Like My Style” (original and remix), flipping jazzy pianos and thumping drums. Shortie is just a dope rapper, plain and simple.
Jonson Chiplandschaften
As the all-things-not-quite-electro arm of the Elektrolux label, Mikrolux welcomes yet another new talent to the roster, delivering 15 cuts of Amiga 1200-generated continuum. One would have to cite Boards of Canada and Autechre as likely influences here, as the bulk of Chiplandschaften pulls on our heartstrings with lush aquarium chording, endlessly trailing reverb, and textbook DSP. Logical construction, though competently orchestrated, tends to lead each chapter in a predictable and, at times, soundtrack-like direction despite the well-intended IDM beat robotics. A fuel-efficient ride through some familiar but not-so-scenic territory.
Various Artists Breakbeat Science: Exercise 4
NYC‘s Breakbeat Science releases the fourth installation of its Exercise series, as co-founder DB serves up a 15-track dose of BBS know-how. With the exception of one Pieter K track licensed from Offshore, the track list is exclusively Breakbeat Science material, including cuts from DB & Stakka, DJ Dara, Dune, Chris. SU, Deep Blue, and more. The initial dark, tech-step demolition soon gives way to trippy, beat-carved funk and atmospheric meanderings before the mix is taken home by DB‘s affinity for vocal-laced jungle and ecstatic old schooliness.
Various Artists Minimize to Maximize
Whereas the standard compilation sits back and cashes in on past highlights, M2M maintains the Minus dictum of focusing on forward progression. Each of these 11 cuts is an exclusive contribution from the label‘s impressive talent pool, offering a vivid scan of the global collective in motion. Niederflur, I.A. Bericochea, Slacknoise, and label-direktor Plastikman deliver big on the minimal techno end, while the funk factor gets properly bumped by False, Magda, Run Stop Restore, Dinky Dog, and Marc Houle. Mat Jonson gets his electro swerve on, but it‘s newcomer Heartthrob who just slam-dunks it with some especially infectious, bass-casting tech-house.
Mara Carlyle The Lovely
Known for her work with Dani Siciliano, Plaid, and Matthew Herbert, Carlyle is finally out on her own with this powerfully delicate and captivating album. Her vocals soar effortlessly into registers that would make Liz Fraser blush. Lyrically the songs are purposeful, powerful yet disarmingly simple. The album is co-produced by the men of Plaid, who mix slight beats with an array of instrumentation including piano, double bass, ukelele, saw, and beautiful string arrangements. Carlyle‘s voice is that of the human spirit. Truly magnificent.
Triola Triola Im Funftonraum
An iconic figure on Germany‘s techno scene, Jörg Burger tends to cook up new aliases every few releases or so; Triola is the newest edition to the fold, meant to complement his previous work as The Bionaut, Burger/Ink, The Modernist, and more. What has remained constant throughout his lengthy discography is a meticulous attention to detail-similar to the rich palette of Swayzak or Kirk DeGiorgio, as opposed to the monochromatic, stripped-down vision of techno espoused by Jeff Mills or Adam Beyer. This album is no different, as luxuriant melodies steeped in effusive warmth provide for a relaxing listening experience and an introduction to Kompakt‘s softer side.
High Priest Book Of Keys
As more time and releases pass since the splintering of Antipop Consortium, what becomes increasingly clear is each member‘s individuality. While Beans has proven his penchant for b-boy boogie, High Priest‘s beats are unrelenting and chopped like “Vin Diesel.” With verses that have a habit of wrapping upon themselves like sax player Lenny Tristano‘s phrases, “Book of Keys” goes as far out as any previous Antipop-related record. If you like HP, you‘ll like this record; if not, your loss.
