Eerie harmonium and an ominous rhythm form the foundation for this slab from King Honey and a trio of Philly MCs, on which beats share center stage with the MCs, fully committed to the forwardly abstract. The b-side delivers compu-glitch remixes by Heat Sensor, DJ/rupture and King Honey himself. Solid.
aFRO-mYSTIK Morphology
The latest project from aFRO-mYSTIK draws liberally from a variety of ’70s fusion sources, from the Bitches Brew-influenced cover art to the lurking presence of Herbie Hancock. Like much early fusion, Morphology has strong and weak moments, and just as in the ’70s, the weaker moments seem to coincide with cheesy strings, and occasionally unsteady singing and poetry. The album seems to reach its highest points when it travels to the most rhythmic dark-funk territory: “Intersections,” for example, is a percussive, moody piece most closely reflecting the spirit of Miles Davis. This is an album of highs, lows and contradictions. It’s propulsive yet relaxing-dance music for enthusiastic broken-beat spasmatics.
Axiom Reconstructions & Vexations
The latest offering from Bill Laswell’s Axiom label offers a variety of mashed up reinterpretations of the two Tabla Beat Science albums and Radioaxiom: A Dub Translation. The approaches vary; Carl Craig and Midival Punditz latch on to Tabla Beat Science’s natural uptempo, taking the hardline dancefloor approach, while 4Hero go the other direction into subharmonic Augustus Pablo-style dub. The final cut, Laswell’s fantastic panthalastic drum & bass track, is the highlight of album. Like nearly all Laswell albums, there are very interesting moments, but they seem to come through most when the original tracks shine through their remixes. Why do androids dream of Peter Gabriel?
Various Artists Being Black: A Musical Companion
What is blackness? Brooklyn activist (and Zen priest) Angel Kyodo Williams already tried to answer that eternal question in a book fronting the same name as this compelling journey into the hip-hop multiverse. But sound works much better on the senses, dig? With a little help from heavyweights like Blackalicious, Rob Swift, Dilated Peoples, Jurassic 5, DJ Spooky and more, Being Black is a journey through the soul of expropriated agency, at once rump-shaking and mind-expanding. And there’s not a bling-blinger or a ghetto fab in sight. Looks like the evening news got it all wrong, right? Damn right.
Zion I Deep Water Slang, Version 2.0
Raptivism reissues the briefly out-of-print second album from the Oaktown duo that dares you to classify them. Deep Water Slang Version 2.0 testifies with the lion-heart of an art collective ready to rip shit apart-what else would you expect from the home of the Black Panthers? Make sure to keep your headz up for “Cheeba Cheeba,” featuring the singular flow of LA’s own Aceyalone. In a word: incendiary. Even though Zion I’s latest joint carries equal parts drum & bass, reggae and old-school hip-hop, it’s still hard to categorize. No problem-Zion I makes indefinition worth the listen.
Freaks The Man Who Lived Underground
“The Man Who Lived Underground” has a name. It’s Weaver, and he’s a poor electronics fix-it man drunk with insolent nostalgia who decries modern “upgrades” from his dingy urban catacombs. That’s the concept, anyway, via which Freaks Luke Solomon and Justin Harris revolt against dance industry vapidity and set stage for their curiously catchy production. Wrought with machinery effects and amusing audio theater, the tech-house on “The Man Who…” excels through episodes of bleepy motorized tension, plump dirty bass, and chaotic funk. The Freaks are pissed and want you to think before you dance, but this is great music even without the program notes.
Kaskade It’s You’t’s Me
The rolling doo-da-doos on “What I Say” should be enough to sell you on this Chicago-born producer’s debut. Vocalist Rob Wannamaker’s high-pitched soul takes Kaskade in different directions from the deeper, soothing songs with female vocals. “What I Say” is the album’s catchiest, but a thick synth on “Get Busy” and ’80s-ish drumming on “Call Me Wise” heighten the pleasure-pain in Wannamaker’s voice. Broken beats spice up “This Rhythm,” “Tonight” and “My Time,” while dubby interludes “Mak Mop” and “Charlie’s Plight” echo with chill. Throughout, Kaskade surpasses deep house as a genre with luscious, velvety resonance and stylish melodies.
Mutiny UK In the Now
There’s a Jaxx factor to this one. Mutiny UK’s Dylan Barnes used to produce with a pre-Basement Jaxx Simon Ratcliffe. Barnes has since joined with Tommy Boy producer Rob Davy, but the familiar samples and bassline on album opener “Midnight Lady” still recall certain fin-de-si
Various Artists Soft & Suave: Relax Session
With so many chill compilations, picking a soundtrack for relaxation is almost more frustration than worth. So, instead of needing a relaxing soundtrack for buying relaxing soundtracks, check out Soft & Suave: Relax Session, which succeeds by not relying heavily on any one downtempo genre. This isn’t a broken beat or dub compilation. There’s fusion, neo-soul, deep house, downbeat funk, tango and glitch-hop. Well-known producers-Fauna Flash, St. Germain, King Kooba, Tosca, Prefuse 73, DJ Vadim, Kruder & Dorfmesiter-are juxtaposed with up-and-comers, several of whom (notably Speedometer, Bacuzzi and Fleck) do well at surprising. Flavors balance well, resulting in a collection of gently wafting tracks that stand out but never draw attention to themselves-the picture of a lazy afternoon, but not lazy programming.
The Postal Service Give Up
Jimmy Tamborello and Death Cab for Cutie’s Benjamin Gibbard-collaborators on Tamborello’s 2001 Dntel full-length-crafted Give Up by mail, hence the project name. Accordingly, Give Up evokes the wistfulness of long-distance yearnings, yet maintains winsome, intimate direct presence. Gibbard’s fey vocals, complemented by Jen Wood and Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis, float like pillow talk through Tamborello’s rubbery, retro-tinged daydreams, less wafting than Dntel. “Nothing Better” pips and ricochets like Human League crossed with Donkey Kong, while “This Place is a Prison” has squeezebox squelch and chiming clap more akin to M?m’s production. Give in to Give Up, a cradle of bright melodies, crispy beat cascades and plush, hushed, charmingly choppy laptop pop.
