Sleep No More

When infamous abstract label started its branch, known as , one hoped that the same A&R sophistication that had brought the world and would shine some light on the realm of , giving music lovers a much-needed break from the eternal cycle of redundant beat-making that seems to seismically shift every three to four years, only to suffer from unbearable stagnation in between. Listening to the beats on 's debut release, there are moments of terrific innovation, but equal amounts of utterly dated dirge. The opener, is not a good start, groaning like vintage for the first four minutes. But then the coda kicks in with a wickedly upbeat scratch-up of samples, making you believe that everything is going to be all right. This method of tease and withdraw becomes the premise of the entire record, meaning that the distinctive jack-step beat of gives way to an all-too-familiar cadence, which is particularly disheartening given the hope that MCs would come up with something a little more original. But listeners shouldn't hold this completely against and company. It has been proven again and again that , much like evolution, goes through long periods of stasis with sporadic fits of change. The roster still remains well ahead of the curve. ~ Joshua Glazer