DropxLife: Further - Album Review

DropxLife
Further
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

DropxLife, one of the producers on The Weeknd's latest mixtape Echoes of Silence, worked on "Initiation," the standout track for me on that release; a menacing track whose use of tense production and warped vocal effects clearly showed a producer in perfect control of mood and atmosphere. The Weeknd's Abel Tesfaye recently posted a free download on The Weeknd's Tumblr site for DropxLife's debut mixtape, Further. Those expecting tracks in the same vein may be slightly disappointed, as the album veers between dark trip-hop, post-dubstep, alternative R&B, and back again. The album flows by in a haze of atmospheric electronics and disembodied vocal samples, coming across like the love child of Clams Casino and Burial. Interesting that so many current hip-hop/R&B producers can release their music without vocals or rappers and have the music stand on its own, having more in common with IDM and other electronic artists than with the hip-hop community.

The best tracks on Further retain the hint of isolation and menace that characterized "Initiation." "TripxEnt" sounds like it was recorded on the deck of a failing starship, the lurching beat and clattering percussion echo all over the place as voices moan in the background and electronics whizz and whirr around the whole.



"1stxFlr" warps and twists its synths and guitars over a clipped beat.



I enjoy the rise and fall of the different elements in "BexForever," the strings never really allowed to reach a crescendo, always put on a rise. The rumbling percussion underneath adding just the right amount of texture.



The rest of the album could easily fit in the Mezzanine era Massive Attack catalog. Full of dreamy interludes and haunting instrumentation. "NuerxOld" drifts its aching soul sample through glassy, shimmering synths.



Vocals are stretched to their breaking point in "RedxBloor" evoking a sense of frustration and loneliness.

DropxLife - REDXBLOOR by PinBoardBlog

The drawn out strings and punishingly heavy beats and bass of "StillxShots" is a gorgeous reminder of how traditional and electronic instrumentation can create an elegant tension:



My only faults with Further are that some of the tracks meander, and adhere too much to the trip-hop template, but aside from that, it is a strong introduction to this producer, who shows he knows his way around a production suite. It will be interesting to see what he does with another artist or singer, and how well his productions mesh with them. Based on his one single with The Weeknd, it could be explosive.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

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