Bridging the divide between hip hop, electronic, and jazz is Wendel Patrick's Sound:. The circuit-bending beginning of "Mazinger" stands in stark contrast to the ethereal piano that follows, a trick also well employed on "Man Vs.", where the piano reverses into a traveling beat of drums and tablas, complete with old-school hip hop hi-hat/tympani break before the crescendo.
Sound: is a challenging trip through experimentation with multiple genres and sounds, many of which you will have a hard time identifying but have a great time trying. The funk bass on "Bass Trip" is a slam dunk compared to the near-digeridoo hook of "Mass Media", which loops over an amalgam of voice clips culled from the mass media. And whether the listener comes looking for the electronica sound in "Thirteen Years", the jazz band in a box on "Planet Planetarium" or the hip hop tempo of the intro to "Stonezthrow", tastes will be challenged and genres bended as heads nod and bodies move to all of the above.
On "Rest Move", Wendel introduces the guitar underneath a rap track courtesy of Napoleon Solo. The contribution of Napoleon Solo bleeds into the next track, "....", scratching its way through a symphony sound piece. This collaboration is the first indication that Wendel Patrick is not satisfied with simply tracking beats on drum machines and sampling obvious 80s hits. The boom-bap of the drum machine comes through (along with the shakers) on "My CD Has A Scratch", with an epileptic blip that, when Salim comes in on "My CD Has A Scratch II", presents a challenge for the Baltimore MC (read a review of Salim's album Hip Hop Revisited here). If you haven't already, you must hear the collabo between Wendel Patrick and Salim on "Mass Media II" where Salim delivers a two-minute anecdote on being ruined by the media.
Wendel Patrick's Sound: is great for hip hop heads, techno kids, and audiophiles of all sorts. Something for everyone with twists and turns that urge the listener to branch out.
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1 comment:
Great comment! Bravo for the artists.
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