Artist: Audio Dropout

Title: Get Down With The Tempo

Released: March 2013

Genre: Hip Hop | Abstract

Label: Fwonk*

Catalog Number: 103

License: CC BY-NC-SA

I don’t know that I would have called this a Hip-Hop release. It is definitely a down-tempo, chill release in the style of Tosca, Kruder and Dorfmeister, or Peace Orchestra. Yes, there is an element of Hip-Hop style breaks, but the overall body of this work fits better somewhere between chill, trip-hop and jazz.

And this is exactly the kind of music that got me into down-tempo and trip-hop releases in the first place. From the solid bass lines, with laid back drum loops and chill breaks that make you feel like you are floating, suspended in mid-air absorbing everything that is around you. That heightened sense of awareness with a deep inner calm is addictive. And this release not only has it in massive doses, it could make you an addict.

With just four tracks, one might think that this is a minor release. However, I can’t count this as a minor release. I’ve heard plenty of major releases that didn’t rise to the level of craftsmanship, and detail that Audio Dropout achieves in this release. I’d rather have a four track release that I can listen over and over, than a full-length album release that only reaches half-way to the level of this release.

And, to cap all of near perfection off, one of the tracks is an “alternate version”. I would have called it an alternate vision instead . While the two tracks are definitely related, it doesn’t feel like you are listening to a re-worked version of a track. The arrangement is different and the textures have a different feel to them. The vocalist has much more presence in this alternate version of Yeah Sure than in the original, and is definitely extremely appealing. (I only wish she was credited.)

So, yeah, I could probably heap more praise on this release, but instead I can think of something better: just go out and get. Pay for a copy of it. I think we’d all benefit hearing more work from Audio Dropout.

Audio Dropout: Get Down With The Tempo Free 9 Rating 9.0/10

















Fwonk* CCTrax

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