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I DO MY BEST TRIPPIN' UNDERWATER
Fresh
off the release of horrorcore masterwork There
Existed An Addiction To Blood,
experimental hip-hop wunderkinds Clipping have dropped a 3 song EP of
sea-faring sci-fi shanties. Appropriately titled The
Deep,
it explores the afro-futurist fantasies of Detroit techno
heavyweights Drexciya,
whose music soundtracked an Atlantis-esque society of drowned African
children whose mothers were thrown from slave ships across the
Atlantic sea. It's a concept so high-minded the Extended Play format
seems restrictive, but Clipping's decade-long creative crescendo
makes them ripe for the task.
The
trio have flexed their world-building muscle before, most notably on
2016's Splendour
and Misery.
There, MC Daveed
Diggs'
narrated a space-bound slave's descent into madness following a
ship-wide uprising-turned-massacre. Production team William
Hutson
and Jonathan
Snipes
flexed their foley skills to animate abandoned expanses and crackling
circuitry, atmospheric field recordings re-contextualised within the
ship's halls.
Similar
brilliance occurs on The
Deep's
title track as the stifled sounds of oil drills are drowned out by
piercing screams. Originally released in 2016 as part of an NPR piece
on afro-futurism, the track's multi-staged instrumental follows
Drexciya's aforementioned water-race in a journey to the surface as
they abandon their peaceful origins. It's a perfect introduction to
this world and easily the best song here, providing inspiration for a
recent novel by sci-fi writer Rivers Solomon, as well as the ensuing
2 tracks. Segmented by short bursts of colourful sound design, The
Deep's initially
eerie kit patterns rev up into an 808-laden homage to Detroit's
acquatic techno roots. Hutson and Snipes show subtlety in each
embellishment, manufacturing rhythms which feel as advanced as the
society they're depicting.
Aquacode
Databreaks is
a long overdue collaboration with fellow modern rap weirdos Shabazz
Palaces.
Daveed's mic duties are shared with Ishamel
Butler,
also of Digable
Planets
fame, as the two engage in some seriously absurdist chorus-trading
atop a malfunctioning electro beat. The track runs a bit light on the
mind-bending substance I know these two groups can produce. Ishmael's
alien ghettoisms become laughably obtuse to the point of sticking out
thematically. Still, as a concept it's so uniquely bonkers I
challenge listeners not to be amused.
"I
pull up on my seahorse, blinged out with diamonds
Bumpin'
ghetto whale songs, heard for miles out
Whip
up on my seahorse, blinged out with diamonds
My
baby is a mermaid, mesmerizing, timeless"
The
final track, Drownt,
is similarly verse-light. A subdued bed of unnerving creaks and
gurgling bass slowly gathers momentum as Diggs finds his signature
pocket flow. His quips intimidate from the great unknown, weaving
nautical themes into thug-like threats. As with Databreaks,
Drownt
feels minimal when compared to the title track's arcing plot threads.
Though, its contrasting instrumental packs an atmospheric punch, with
vivid machine noises leave me to imagine each corresponding device.
It's slightly underwhelming after waiting 2 years for more from this
world, but these extra tracks benefit from both Daveed's consistent
lyrical themes and Hutson's impeccably forward-thinking production.
I
love that Clipping are still exploring the campier, conceptual side
of their music, and refusing a singular identity. This year of
contrast has blown the group's future releases wide open; either
broadening their creative scope or taking time to fill in the blanks.
Whichever route Clipping decides to take, I can't see it being
anything but brilliant.
7/10
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