The West Coast is proving time and time again to be
one of the most fertile musical playgrounds on Earth,
with waves after waves of hip-hop artists taking the
step to break away from the traditionalist approach
of the more commercially conscious rappers to rejuvenilise
the genre. Not exactly a new comer, Omid Walizadeh demonstrates
with Monolith that he is definitely a strong
addition to the Mush roster.
Despite Monolith being Omid’s second
album, the man proudly qualifies for the title of veteran
of the LA underground hip-hop scene, with a string of
solo EPs under his OD guise, collaborations and production
work for the like of Freestyle Fellowship and Adlib,
under his belt. It is no surprise to find him leading
this new project with confidence and vision. Totally
at ease with his sonic environment, Omid Walizadeh sculpts
his music with extreme precision. Follow up to last
year’s instrumental album Distant Drummer
(Biofidelic) and the much talked about compilation Beneath
The Surface, Monolith is Omid’s
first release for Mush. Featuring vocal contribution
from Buck 65, Busdriver, Abstract Rude, 2Mex, Spoon,
Luckyiam.PSC, Slug and many more, Monolith
brilliantly combines vocal tracks and evocative instrumentals.
Never taking his art for granted, Omid excels at altering
the tones of his compositions to adapt to different
moods, from the slow funk of Speakers Hot to
the chaotic and fierce Shock & Awe. The
most impressive quality of Omid’s music is to
be found in the man’s impeccable production. With
a smart feel for samples and uneasy rhythmic constructions,
Omid detaches himself from reality to build his own
sonic world, far from the constant urban confusion.
If his melodic approach prevents this album from dangerously
swerving into abstract territory in part, this is however
no straightforward hip-hop. In the same way Anti-pop
Consortium, Clouddead
or Prefuse have in
their time trashed once and for all the slick hip-hop
equation, Omid relentlessly pushes his music forward.
Each contributor brings his unique blend of poetry to
the mix, but it is well and truly Omid himself who sets
the agenda. From the opening bars of Arrival/Departure,
Omid uses his imagination to steer clear of obvious
comparisons, injecting this album with street-wise beats
and fluid pastoral soundscapes, creating an odd, if
totally fascinating, piece of work.
The arrival of Omid on Mush is likely to raise his profile
far beyond the realms of hip-hop, and from his past
and present work, it is only deserved. Monolith
is beautifully produced and Omid’s song sense
of composition, together with the various vocal contributions,
contributes to this album being one of the best released
on Mush.
4.7/5 |
