I’ve yet to come across bucolic beats, so the category doesn’t really have an opposite in rural electronica, to my knowledge. Without any vocals other than random, single-syllables popping in the mix occasionally, it’s worth asking what’s urban about this and other electronica on Activia Benz. Three remixes, excluding only the brief title track, bring the length up to fully half an hour. The French rap that follows is a bit jarring but also very well done, as is the dance remix. From the opening electronic R&B feel, the listener is seduced into expecting a smooth ride.
#Urban trip hop free
The free EP accompaniment to 2011’s “Key” is still available also. Another general strength of theirs is to keep a perfectly balanced mix of vocal and instrumental tracks over the course of this and all their albums. The rhythmic variety gives this one a more worldly feel. Midtempo for the most part and abundant in groove as always, as on the quietly triumphant opening track. While I didn’t like this one as much as the departed “Key,” it has an interesting back story, and their body of work stretching back to the 1990s deserves far more recognition than it has received, at least Stateside. The difficulty of categorizing previous work should excite and not confound the adventurous listener. The harmonic layers on “Jacob’s Ladder” and the following two tracks are a particularly interesting stretch to me. This is a fine follow-up to 2011’s criminally under-appreciated “Passing Place.” More of his own vocals on this one may or may not please you, but one should never turn one’s back to this guy’s albums, lest one be unexpectedly frozen with intrigue. Ever wondered what Broadcast or even Stereolab might sound like w/ a male vocalist? Try this boundless, unstructured pop music by way of something like fellow NinjaTuners The Cinematic Orchestra. “Northern Oscillations” - Loka (2017).I prefer the slightly longer and newer of the two, in part for similarities to Gusgus, but both are quite nice. Bass and vocal elements play strong roles on every track, but I wouldn’t describe any portion of them as aggressive. Both of these 99-cent eps are excellent reminders of how and why trip-hop appealed to listeners not ready or not in the mood for rap or other fast-paced hip-hop. “Blessed with Weird Things” & “Chaos Theories” - Contour (2015 & 2014).I won’t be making another hip-hop list for a while, but these aren’t far off and are encouraged also for those who don’t just listen for the rapping. Breathy female vocals in particular seem to have been done just about to death, but I’ll always have a soft spot for it (see female vocalists list for that ). The height of cool in the 1990s and early 2000s, but other than Massive Attack and a few others, I don’t know how well the status and appreciation have endured or whether the style has aged well. Urban music might be close enough for me right now. cities hasn’t been easy these past months and might be going from hard to bad.
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