Ok, so there are words on “Early Ernest Humans” by Yellow Sam, but only a few and they’re in the form of samples that are cut up and re-contextualized so we’re going to let it slide. Otherwise you’d have to wait another day or two for this track to show up on the blog and frankly we don’t want to deprive you. From a starting repetitive, almost droning, synth keys pattern the song soon kicks into a subdued yet catchy euro funk stepper. The progression has a lo-fi charm to it and stays simple and steady, allowing different flavors and layers to pop in and out to give the song a sense of shape and movement. It takes confidence to trust the vibe without overdoing it with unnecessary change ups and big drops and Yellow Sam has that confidence.
June 22, 2022
Wordless Wednesdays – Yellow Sam
June 22, 2022
The Midweekly – Dälek
The Midweekly is our column from Mike Jeffers; lead singer of Chicago punk stalwarts SCRAM, music junkie and all around righteous dude.
Start with thick globs of color right in the center. Then spread those out in every direction. Scrape them thin, crisscross them into patterns. Now imagine these abstractions as hip hop. That’s the record Precipice, the musical equivalent of those splattered paints. It’s the latest from experimental group Dälek. These noise makers out of Newark have been doing this for over two decades, and nothing has compromised their unconventional approach to the genre. The beats simmer low and slow, but pound like pistons in an engine. An engine that drones, hums, and hisses with synths and samples. At times the layers can be differentiated as the chords reverb out, or notes pan from side to side, other times it all melts together into walls of feedback. And still other moments this album vibrates into otherworldly dimensions. All the while MC Dälek himself spitting with intensity, about the deficiencies of our system, and giving respect to a culture of resistance. It’s sound that pushes into every corner, and represents that precipice just before collapse.