Prefuse 73 : Preparations

<img src="http://www.qromag.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/prefuse73preparations.jpg" alt=" " />With more than a strong dose of glitches, Prefuse 73's new album is deeply eccentric and wildly imaginative instrumental hip-tronica. ...
8.1 Warp
2007 

 With more than a strong dose of glitches, Prefuse 73's new album is deeply eccentric and wildly imaginative instrumental hip-tronica. Sparing most tracks from vocals, Scott Herren (aka Prefuse 73, among others), fills the void with a huge variety of electronic beats and noises that seem to determine the new urban headphone walk-around.  With a relaxed vibe, each track struts along a line of hip-hop flash and European electronic escape.  

The opener, "From the East Intro" is the album's most aggressive sound, with a blast of swirling glitches twisting a quick rap into the surreal.  "Beaten Tuesdays" sets the pace with glassy refractions dancing around a remixed heartbeat.  Vocals oddly float through the distortion before asking "what's that?".  "Aborted Hugs" brings a jagged jungle beat into the mix, and "The Class of 73 Bells" goes as far as to add a mesmerizing flute and swooning digital chant.  

The uber-art, chillout sound continues until "Smoking Red", a four-alarm rumble.  Robotic vocals get finger-banged in a binary wash that never lets up.  But then fuzzy electro-grooves take over again for a few tracks until the sparse one-minute-long "17 Seconds Interlude".  It's a dark stomp with far more air between beats than the previous tracks.  The final two tracks, "Spaced + Dissonant" and "Preparation Outro Version" are avant-garde noise-filled grooves that add a deeply artistic touch to the album.

If you're looking for some experimentation in a few directions at the same time, Preparations will fill your needs.  Hip-hop, electronic, and artistic modernist noise come together in a highly decorative, yet thought-provoking collection.  You can tell Herren's on top of his game.

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