soulful fulfilling finds
general fuzz in an especially quiet and contemplative mood. for this album, he has created an absolutely beautiful set of quiet, introspective [mostly] instrumental music.
as he did on his previous album "coolaborations" general fuzz collaborates with several live musicians, adding violin, cello, guitar and vocals to compliment the general's soft keyboards, subtle sequenced percussion and careful production.
this album, along with several other quality full-length albums, can be downloaded for free from general fuzz's website. there is also a fascinating and detailed
making-of page explaining the process of the album's creation, along with a custom-build mp3 player with loops and elements from each song.
the peaceful and positive vibe may cause the style to venture a little too close to the 'new age' category for some listeners, but the music is brilliantly produced and supremely chilled, and comes very highly recommended.
Trails has quickly become one of my favorite instrumental hip-hop LPs of recent months. chicago artist Lokua deftly combines a myriad of samples- distant voices, echoing pianos, cutup jazz records, even native flutes- into a smoothly cohesive LP filled with ambient textures and head-bobbing beats. the mood is chilled yet vibrant and alive.
