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.
