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Following The Isolationist (1999),
a collaboration with DJ Vadim,
the Antipop Consortium rejuvinated hip-hop with their debut album,
Tragic Epilogue (2000), that branched out towards the new aesthetics
of "glitch" music (as in Autechre).
Producer Earl Blaize's disjointed arrangements (reminiscent of early electro
productions) propelled the trio of vocalists (poet "Beans" and former
filmmakers "High Priest" and "M Sayyid") towards the almost psychedelic
heights of
What Am I.
via the oneiric Your World Is Flat,
the futuristic Lift,
the decadent 9.99,
the free-form collage of Eyewall,
and especially
the atmospheric Monster Sex, wrapped in glitchy static noise.
The weakest element is the rapping itself. Neither the voices nor the lyrics
are particularly enticing.
The monotonous narrations of Laundry, Sllab,
Heatrays,
etc.
are the problem, not the solution.
The arrangements only partially redeem the words. Even when they are inventive,
they sound shy and thin.
Their "digital hip-hop" became even more ambitious on
Shopping Carts Crashing (2001), although the real songs mostly failed
(M being the notable exception) and the best was to be found in
the brief instrumental intermezzos and in a couple of futuristic tracks
(Excerpt From The Forthcoming Epic, Systaltic Quiescence).
Arrhythmia (2002) was much more conventional and accessible
(Human Shield).
Beans' solo album Tomorrow Right Now (2003), containing the single
Phreek the Beat, adopted a more intellectual stance, further abstracting
his spoken-word style and pinning it against intelligent instrumental hip-hop.
Shock City Maverick (2004) is much more straightforward dance music
(You're Dead Let's Disco, Papercut, Shock City Maverick, A Force of Edge, Death By Sophistication).
Thorns (Adored and Exploited, 2008) is more organic but also less vital.
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da Mario Aloe)
Dopo The Isolationist(1999) insieme a DJ Vadim, Antipop Consortium ringiovanii l’hip-hop con il debutto Tragic Epilogue (2000) che si ricollega alla nuova estetica del glitch (come per gli Autechre). Gli arragiamenti sfasati del producer Earl Blaize(che ricordano le prime produzioni electro) infiammano il trio di mc’s(il poeta "Beans" e i già filmakers "High Priest" e "M Sayyd") tra le vette quasi psichedeliche di What Am I.
Il loro hip-hop digitale divenne piu’ ambizioso in Shopping Carts Crashing (2001), anche se i pezzi meno riusciti( ad eccezione di M)e quelli piu’validi sono da ricercarsi tra i brevi intermezzi strumentali ed in un paio di brani futuristi(Excerpt From The Forthcoming Epic, Systaltic Quiescence).
Il successivoArrhythmia (2002) è stato piu’accessibile e convenzionale.
Il debutto solista di Beans Tomorrow Right Now (2003), che contiene il singolo Phreek the Beat, adotto’ un’istanza piu’intellettuale, astraendo ulteriormente lo stile spoken-word e appuntandolo contro l’hip-hop strumentale. Shock City Maverick (2004), è maggiormente indirizzato verso la dance music (You're Dead Let's Disco, Papercut, Shock City Maverick, A Force of Edge, Death By Sophistication).
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