Sometimes the album art says it all: some growling homeboy in a Beijing Opera mask, rainbow ski boots, with what appears to be a travel version of Connect Four dangling from his belt and, in the mirror, his opposite reflection. I don’t know quite how it’s happened, but Bi-Conicals… sounds exactly like iconic hip-hopper Rammellzee looks-not quite insane, not quite clown. This album is full of gothic videogame hip-hop tunnel-scavengers that aren’t quite demented enough to be truly fun, yet crazy enough as to be totally confusing to listen to.
Various Artists Hear You Soon: Part One
Here’s a pretty little bag of jellybean electronics from Blue Bell, a new label spun off from Darla Records. The 17 tracks of perky micro-pop collected here range from the softly orange glow of Marumari’s “Casium” to Hausmeister’s dorky-cute bop, “Ruben,” from the chimes of “Good Morning, Amanda” to Greg Davis’s tangled guitar and harmonics. Hear is sweet, but some of the songs seem frustratingly bite-sized, blurry around the edges, and not quite cohesive in form. Tycho’s “Dream As Memory,” for example, starts out with a wonderfully rounded sheen, but stays small and stops short. Hear You Soon contains tantalizing tastes here that’ll make you greedy for more.
Brian Eno Curiosities Volume 1
The godfather of ambient music, Brian Eno, delivers this compilation of lesser-known tracks that fit together precisely because they never fit in anywhere else. Beautiful, uncluttered melodies are shot through with ghostly noises and soft, padding basslines while Eno’s love of rhythm shines through on tracks such as “Ambient Savage” and “Manila Envelope.” Elsewhere, Eno’s love of experimentation rears its head via a lovely organ solo on “My Lonely Organ” and sparse lyrical stylings on “Work/Wank”-pieces of music that don’t quite fit together, but are nevertheless quite curious.
Girl Talk Unstoppable
No one has embraced the Top 40 bootleg/mash-up craze more than Girl Talk. On their latest release, Unstoppable, R&B smutmonger Khia sings about her neck and her back over Richard Marx’s “Right Here Waiting,” and various clips and pops from perennial favorites like Snoop Dogg, Sean Paul, Jay-Z and P-Diddy are peppered throughout the disc. In a time when kids can barely sit through an entire album by just one artist (the horror!), this A.D.D. mix will keep them sedated and/or spastic.
Papa M Hole Of Burning Alms
A compilation of vinyl 12″ releases, limited CD singles and unreleased tracks, Papa M’s Hole of Burning Alms has been both a feat and a journey for musician David Pajo to record and produce. His trademark lo-fi folk stylings carry listeners through a landscape of sleepy melodies, liquid rhythms and pure guitar sounds that resonate so clearly and precisely you may ask yourself if they’re for real. Papa M has mastered his guitar, allowing it to create songs that neither thrash nor rock, but unfold into dark bedtime stories.
Kai Alce M-7
Atlanta’s Kai Alce is one of the best-kept secrets in American house music. This track on Kenny Dixon’s stellar Mahogani label is a beautiful late-night affair that masterfully combines nuanced Afro-tinged percussion and a perfectly moody synth backdrop with an oblique, longing vocal sample. Already one of my favorite tracks of the year.
Purple Flash We Can Make It (Darshan Jesrani Rmx)
Environ honcho Morgan Geist enlists his Metro Area partner Jesrani for this gorgeous remix of the latest installment in the label’s Unclassics series of obscure vintage electro jams. Purple Flash’s sunny, synth-washed 1984 original (a slept-on masterpiece in its own right) gets the abstract New York dancefloor dub treatment, adding additional keyboard and percussion embellishments for increased listening pleasure. What a beauty.
Supersoul 0.45
Badman Miami producer Supersoul brings a tight, futuristic hip-hop/dancehall hybrid warning to de cops who come into the inner city ready to kill. Metatronix MCs Sess and Judah Manson ask ’em if they’ve “ever seen a .45 before” over Super’s smacking snare and freaky steel drum stabs, which get tossed for some good bogle by remixer Nick Fury. Booyaka!
Stereotyp Meets Al-Haca Phase One EP
Alongside the Different Drummer crew, these guys continue to take dub/reggae to the next level. “Blaze and Cook” featuring Shagon is dark and sparse with an infectious one-drop dancehall flavor, while Lady Saw gets slow, hot and rude on “Lately.” “Boss It” featuring Hawkeye is bouncy and futuristic with a gangsta edge, while “Watch Me Flip” with R.Q.M on the mic is more hip-hop than dancehall, but retains the frequencies and overall vibe of this boom release. Raise your foot!
JFB No Destination EP
JFB (Jammy Fu**ing Bastards) hail from Brighton, UK and bring four tracks of fun, each with its own vibe. “The Temple Ball” fluctuates between a kind of breakbeat mambo and a Moroccan dub sand-dance with cuts and scratches-it’s cooler than you might think. The title track continues the filmic flavor, but is set in darker, deeper borders, slightly upping the tension. Then comes “Banana,” which is just bonkers! More sand-dance, but this time in a drum & bass style, complete with killa drop into Amen and subness. By now, the desert sandal that is “Escape from Cuba” comes as no surprise, and suitably rounds off this ace slate. Good work and loads of fun.
