For those craving beats, murk daddy flex has ‘em in spades. Terence Chiyezhan’s latest LP, Genesis, is a kaleidoscopic stew of hip hop beats, global style and multi-genre finesse.
Fans of Luke Vibert or Gil-Scott Heron will no doubt dig the downtempo glide of tracks like “Snake Charmer” and “Crayon.” “Black Mamba” and “California Mountain Snake” shake up rock-and-roll in good Odelay form, but with righteous female samples instead of lazy, white-boy raps; and the criminally short “ii.Cloud Nine” blends dub, gospel, jazz and tropical vibes into one unbelievably smooth tonic.
But the all-out showstopper of Genesis, hands down, is “Asimov” and its austere march of light, which borders on saccharine but brushes past with some electronic wizardry. “Hare Krishna, Universal Peace” pushes the Hindu overtones a little too far into stereotypes with the child choir and sitar features, but the percussion that dissolves into crackle lends the track a curious new flavor. “iii.Sea Foam Green,” too, hammers home its arm-swinging soul almost too bluntly, but redeems itself with one sweet diva sample.
Despite all this genre-blending, Genesis is a very cohesive unit, sewn together by brief instrumental interludes and compelling sound bites—including, in the album’s most sublime moment, a triumphant sign-off from Muhammad Ali himself (“Copperhead”). 4 out of 5.
murk daddy flex plays Flagpole‘s AthFest showcase at the 40 Watt Club on Friday, June 20.
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