% (pronounced "Owner/Operator) is Southeastern U.S. sound artist Michael Felix. His side begins with field recordings from the forest in West Virginia. Its a sort of ode to nature via broken beats and synth. This is a lovely five part narrative that combines bouncey instrumental hip hop with lush, blissed out melodies.
Galapagoose is Melbourne, Australia resident Trent Gill. His side is comparable to Felix', in that it has a similarly bright and slinky beat vibe, and incorporates subtle and quiet spoken word.
As far as I'm concerned, this is the future of hip hop. These are the most captivating beats I've heard in quite sometime.
I'm lost. I remember being guided by someone who's role in this I no longer recollect. Something happened. Gaps in memory. Pain. Abandonment. Confusion...
If it sounds like a Tarkovsky film, that's because this album could pass as a modern score to one of those classics like "Stalker" or "Solaris". A meandering character attempts to discern his reality and destiny through a series of interactions with humans, entities and/or oracles.
Cumulus creates rhythmic droning patterns that are reminiscent of those long panning camera takes that seem to last an eternity. When the percussive elements are introduced, they are as subtle and necessary as a heartbeat. His narrative is lush and epic, incorporating field recordings that seem to be memories filed away in the back of your mind since you were a child.
This music is an existential journey ripe with doubt, pain and fear, but one that is contrasted with a familiar sense of hope and a longing for contentment and peace.
Buy this limited cassette / listen to samples HERE
