Let’s take a trip back to Houston, Texas in the early ‘90s. Inside a studio on 7717 Cullen Blvd., the contemporary concept of hip-hop was being deconstructed, literally, by a man named Robert Earl Davis, Jr. though he’s better known as DJ Screw, the big-bang theorist of screwed and chopped music. Essentially Screw’s innovation consisted of taking the heavy soul and g-funk samples of the day and slowing them down to a thick, pasty molasses. The once proper syndication of beats, rhymes, and rhythms was stricken into a hallucinogenic comatose; a surreal dream-like aurora of bouncing cars, massive egos, and endless wealth. In many respects, screwed and chopped is hip-hop’s psychedelic sub-genre.
Now nearly two decades later, the fundamental sound is still evolving. Relative newcomer Rollie Daedal’s concept of hip-hop is much like Screw’s, slow and psychedelic. Though where Screw’s bulky production gave his mixes an energized spin, Daedal takes a considerably more minimalistic approach. On Blázni, he strips the decaying mixes even further by spacing out the production, allowing the mixes to breathe amidst the damp soundscapes.
The beats are consistently heavy throughout; ringing amongst The Roots-slowed opener “UNIverse at War” as drowsy samples and fragile sonics flow gently above the thick and pumping low-end. On “Wassup” he slows down A$AP Rocky, bridging Clams Casino’s dreamy atmospheric production with Rocky’s flaunting gangsta prowess, and slowed down it highlights these elements with a thick, purple magic marker, elevating the mix far beyond the original. Rollie Dadeal’s use of contradictory elements gives the album an eerie tone that resonates freely throughout. Blázni mixes lush aesthetic, psychedelic unease, drowsy plunderphonics, and the signature slowed-down ecstasy, giving real songs a new and sophisticated life beyond their origin.
[Rollie Daedal Facebook]
[Download Blázni from Rollie Daedal]
No comments:
Post a Comment