Somewhere between Prefuse 73’s mid-period electro-glitch and Ninja Tune plunder-phonics lies Kingbastard’s new EP Brainfunk.
[Release page] Somewhere between Prefuse 73’s mid-period electro-glitch and Ninja Tune plunder-phonics lies Kingbastard‘s new EP Brainfunk. The Prefuse-esque obsessive sound design is evident from the opening moments of “Brainstorm,” where bitcrushed rain and wind samples morph into a soulful mid-tempo groove, while the hilarious nature documentary samples underpinning “KingBee’s Waggle Dance” evoke the better Herbaliser records. But throughout the six tracks that make up Chris Weeks’ latest outing on Herb Recordings, the self-described Bastard makes a mark all his own. The production is upbeat, dense, lush but not claustrophobic, and there are fun treats for headphone listeners like the rolling thunder that outros “Brainstorm” and the clever stereo panning in “Waggle Dance”.
In addition to these two tracks, Brainfunk includes the gauzy, synth-driven “I Caught the Sun,” which matches clipped percussion to mellotronic melodies and had me wishing for a winding mountain road to descend with it as my soundtrack; “The Sunshine Skank,” where competing guitar lines rollick and groove; “Out to Lunch,” a more meditative trip-hop excursion with a short, sung break (“I’ve had it up to here!” the double-tracked vocals inform us); and finally, perhaps the best track on this release, “You Float My Boat” whose interlocking guitar and bass lines introduce a funktastic 70’s falsetto vocal.
A great sampler for those looking to drop an esoteric jam in the middle of a smoky late-night set, but as a teaser between albums, Kingbastard’s Brainfunk is even more effective — it’s got me fully enthused for his forthcoming full-length due on Herb Recordings in 2012.
Brainfunk will be released October 3, 2011 on Herb. [Release page]
