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The full length Piano Overlord project from Scott Herren aka Prefuse, and we did it up deluxe for you with the cd housed in a super jewel box (needs to be seen) and all the Piano Overlord remixes included. If you haven't...
expand review been following the singles we've released (both of which are now out of print), this is another guise for the prolific Herren, where he played all instruments- primarily Rhodes, busted Wurlitzer, and drums- for all the songs, and rearranged them in his studio in Spain. We think it's some of his best work, landing favorably between the Prefuse and Savath & Savalas styles. Lush and live sounding but with a slight production edge- check tracks like "Springs Arrival(1), Agoraphobia(2), Walk Home(3)" and "Stay Home(4)" for the goods. Bonus tracks on the CD include the unreleased alternate take(5) of Diplo's remix, Blu Jemz' "Keyboard King(6)" vocal mix, the Adventure Time "Sleepy Keys(7)" remix, and Count Bass D's vocal mix(8). -the mgmnt
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Monster team-up alert! This is the kind of line-up that makes imaginations melt with anticipation and some wild dream of utopian lord music. The prospect of Ghost getting all fur coat calculus over one of those Prefuse beats when he's really got...
expand review it cracking... Well given those lofty goals and expectations, there's no way that "Hideyaface(1)" isn't going to be a little underwhelming. First listen will not be the molotov cocktail you were hoping for, BUT after a couple repeats there is a lot to be gained here. The Prefuse beat is a slow creeper, but once the choral interludes get into you, it feels pretty good. Then you'll start to digest Ghost. And while I'm nowhere near an El-P fan, I gotta say that he brings some much needed weight to the proceedings. Both with his vocal (he must have been amped as hell to get on the same track as Ghost), and with his remix(2). Without doing anything too fancy or "look at me," he almost steals both shows at once. The Prefuse instrumental and "Shaolin Finale" (an instrumental edit) are on the b-side. Plays at 45. -the mgmnt
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What more is to say about Scott Herren here at the Lab? The electronica sifu comes in his beloved Prefuse 73 guise dropping that textured hip-hop-electronica we've come to understand and appreciate. There's some folk and indy thrown in these days, but...
expand review it's the same off-kilter, masterfully executed stuff. Check: "Girlfriend Boyfriend(1), Beaten Thursdays(2), Class of 73 Bells(3), Smoking Red(4), Pomade Suite Version One(5)," and "Spaced + Dissonant(6)." Extra bonus, both vinyl and CD versions come with a CD featuring an extra-15 tracks! -the mgmnt
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New Prefuse album out of nowhere?! Sort of. On the Warp site he says "it's not a follow up to Surrounded By Silence, but merely a transition between the last album and what's to come- and the next one is going to...
expand review be completely different all together." So this one is like a collection of 18 tracks (some real short) that he's been working on in the meantime. And as opposed to a lot of his recent work, he's almost exclusively solo on here (with the exception of two collab's with Four Tet), with the sound goes back to the chopped up compositions that we first heard on Uprock Narratives. FULL REVIEW COMING SOON. -the mgmnt
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Scott Herren is back with the opening salvo from his upcoming Preparations album. "The Class of 73 Bells(1)" featuring the mysterious conglomerate band School of Seven Bells is the usual blend of folk, electronica, and hip-hop we are accustomed to from Herren;...
expand review but I am consistently impressed by the finesse by which he pulls it off. "Smoking Red(2)" featuring drummer Red Stanier is a nod to Prefuse's longtime fans with hard beats that eventually soften amidst Herren's tones and frenetic sample play. Vintage Prefuse! "En Blanco(3)" starts off the b-side with a texturized psyche-kraut sound; and this taster ends with a "strings" version(4) of "Class." Limited distribution on this single, so act quick. -the mgmnt
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Guillermo Scott Herren (aka Prefuse 73, Piano Overlord, A Cloud Mireya, Delarosa & Asora, La Correcion) blesses the Lab once again with yet another eyebrow raising release. For "Golden Pollen," Herren works under the Savath and Savalas moniker to experiment with acoustic-based...
expand review instruments (some electronics tastefully thrown in) and create an extremely lush and organic tapestry of sound. Put it this way - If you want to transport yourself away from the everyday grind to a tropical dreamland where psychedelic goddesses serve up sonic love nectar - this is your ticket. Listen to "Apnea Obstructiva(1)" with guest vocals by Mia Doi Todd and you'll see what I mean. The way Herren composes and weaves the many layers and songs together is truly remarkable - it gives the whole album a timeless quality that is pretty rare with current releases (at many points I felt I was listening to an old Brazilian LP like Milton Nascimento or a Lo Borges record). Check "Paisaje(2)," the very ambient "Concreto(3)," "Estrella De Dos Caras(4)," "Olhas(5)," and "Vidas Animadas(6)" for more exquisite sounds. You need some of these sounds in your life. 16 tracks total. Recommended. -snackmaster
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2 years after the debut release of "Folk Songs For Trains, Trees, and Honey," Savath and Savalas aka Scott Herren returns with this 5 track EP. With so much of his material coming out at this moment, it is quite striking to...
expand review take in all the styles brought about and developed. To those not familiar, Savath and Savalas is the identity that fuses live instrumentation with subtle electronic touches, resulting in thick chill out music. A distant cousin of Cinematic sound, sharing acoustic richness, but differing in construction, the tracks display expert development (Folk Song for Cello(1)), and aimless, soothing wandering (Rolls and Wave Acknowledgement(2)). The one upright track of the EP, "Paths in Soft Focus(3)" serves a center balance to catch you. Five tracks in all. -the mgmnt
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