(01.23.07) Prefuse 73 has been accused of straying from his original glitch-hop “sensibilities” with more organic beats, MC guest appearances, and a slew of more traditional side projects. Scott Herren, P73’s mastermind, has endured his share of
criticism after moving from Atlanta to Spain, marking his music with a more band-influenced structure. After following
the critically acclaimed One Word Extinguisher with the oft-maligned Surrounded by Silence, Herren returns to his
dirty south glitch-hop roots with Security Screenings.
Proving that excursions into varied styles hasn’t changed what made him common knowledge, Herren cuts beats rife with triplets under filtered static, space-organ pads, and oscillator edits. The entire release is a throwback to the One Word Extinguisher days; it is devoid of guest spots and rather focuses on oddly cut sampled beats. Built as an extended EP with full length tracks intersticed with sound collages and glitch “skits,” Security Screenings draws heavily on micro-cut samples, odd triplet beats, and a light approach to hip-hop beat manipulation.
What this ultimately boils down to is that this has been heard before. Herren opts to revisit the past rather than reinvent it. The end result seems dated, as the genre that Herren had a hand in inventing has refined and honed itself since its inception through labels such as Merck, and arguably done better by artists like Machinedrum. That’s not to say, however, that Prefuse 73 wholly ceases to impress;
tracks like “Keeping up with your Quota” and “Creating Cyclical Headaches” featuring fellow beat-smith Four Tet, remind the listener of the more bombastic side of Prefuse.
Scott Herren turns his cheek to his haters with samples of interviews gone wrong, attacking Scott for his critically perceived creative rut in his last release and bluntly proclaiming “I’m not liking it.” Whatever the intention of placing the track on the record, the result would have much more impact had this record set the bar higher for Prefuse 73. Instead, it is a microcosm of this record – well-intentioned, but possibly lost in a grander purpose to recapture one’s past magic. If Prefuse 73 chooses to revisit these styles once more, they would be wise to learn from their contemporaries.
Security Screenings is out now on Warp. Buy it at Amazon.com
