I wrote the first masturbatory review of my life about Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse – easily 50,000 characters long. Now, nearly two decades later, Let God Sort Em Out grabs me right from the jump. So much so that I’m fantasising about a masterpiece after just an EP’s worth of runtime. Then: a whole lot of 7/10 beats and 3/10 hooks. Okaaaay.
Florian Aigner To the review
Billy Woods is, quite plainly, the best living rapper for anyone expecting rap to function as a pointed essay collection on the present moment. Golliwog takes that even further: the album is somehow more impenetrable still. Woods’s observations unfold across four, five, maybe even ten interpretive layers – and yet, this remains a rap album that furiously disguises the wire-rimmed glasses behind its veneer.
Florian Aigner
These two were meant to find each other. I’m just not sure whether it’s Freddie Gibbs’ consistency or The Alchemist’s that’s more grating these days – either way, both remain a safe bet for solid mediocrity. And Alfredo II? Still running two circles around you and me.
Florian Aigner
The list of references for Fast Life is long: Showtime-era Dizzee, Yeezus, Babyfather, Klein. Thatisda’s debut doesn’t fully land might have to do with the fact that the primary text is too exposed.
Florian Aigner
In truth, that’s a bit of a stretch. When it comes to Michael J. Blood and Samizdat, the gospel quite unapologetically boils down to two chapters: Theo and Kenny. And yet, LP2 is an absolute blast.
Florian Aigner
Nazar’s debut on Hyperdub was a statement – not least due to the sound of airstrikes rendered in rhythm and his politically blunt lyricism. On Demilitarize, the balance tips in favour of Mk.gee’s take on kuduro, with shaky knees and a world music upbringing folded in. More coherent, more beautiful, and more distinctive than 90% of the competition – and still 10% less impressive than the debut.
Florian Aigner To the review
I always make the mistake of giving the Basic Channel alumni no more than 15% of my attention per decade. Then comes 2025, Overground Club, and the opener on Khadim turns out to be a top-15-ever Mark Ernestus track. From now on, it’s 30% attention per week.
Florian Aigner
What’s really missing, of course, is a proper Ernestus/Magaletti collab. Then again, in a way, it already exists. It was recorded under the pseudonym Al Wotton and released under the admirably understated title Rhythm Archives. Not true, obviously. But it sure sounds like it. Which is, frankly, all the endorsement it needs.
Florian Aigner
Djrum was cleverer than dubstep back when dubstep was at its cleverest. Cleverer than everyone who flooded the pandemic with half-baked HÖR and Boiler Room streams. And this year, cleverer than all those peddling third-rate Aphex Twin knock-offs to unsuspecting forty-somethings. Under Tangled Silence might just be – urgh – the best IDM album of the decade.
Florian Aigner To the review
There’s something about Peak Oil that makes it uniquely fascinating – not least because it’s not based in the UK, yet its output is steeped in the lineage of UK bass music. But it carries that aesthetic with a synthetic shimmer unmistakably tinted by Los Angeles light. You could feed that fact into an AI and get a passable review of Drained Strands by Wrecked Lightships. But it still wouldn’t capture the essence. Because the essence is: Appleblim is a supremely talented motherfucker.
Florian Aigner
He almost had me. The first twelve minutes, easy – maybe even twenty-five. But then came the one-two punch of »The White Cliffs« and »The Spirit«, two prime examples of Thom Yorke’s unbearable tendencies. Mark Pritchard’s productions, though? I’ll take those.
Florian Aigner To the review
Technically speaking, Age, the second album by Cuneiform Tabs, is the better record: it turns sketches into songs, ideas into melodies – and the smouldering gigolo on the cover into straight-up Riefenstahl propaganda. Still, I find myself longing for the imperfection of the debut.
Florian Aigner To the review
It’s impossible to consume Alex G. without (Fish Owens) memes these days – but still, I’m fairly certain that »Beam Me Up« is already the song of the year. The rest of Headlights? A healthy blend of sauce and hyperbole.
Florian Aigner
It’s got that 2017 salon aura, breathing the same air as Wounded Dogs by SixSixSevenFortySeven – especially with the French spoken-word segments and those industrial riddims. Still a killer combination in my book. That said, responding with a yawn? Totally faaaaaair.
Florian Aigner
I’ll still go to bat for Raime and Demdike Stare even if they fully submerge into their Merzbow phase – that’s how stan-level my relationship with both duos is. Who Owns The Dark?, their collab with Cherrystones, does test that devotion though: the sound design is too monolithic, the vibe a little too – ahem – dark. But hey, a proper relationship crisis every five years is part of the deal.
Florian Aigner
Ah, Ambient. Rest Symbol is perfectly fine.
Florian Aigner
I’ve been writing about beatless music for twenty years now, and the only criterion I’ve consistently applied is whether I find it pleasant or not so pleasant. In the case of From Where You Came: very pleasant. But that’s standard with Kara-Lis Coverdale. By the end, I almost feel embarrassed to have been cited by dear colleague Lars in taz (kisses!) as a shining example of human-based music journalism.
Florian Aigner To the review
