Madlib - Sound Ancestors
Madlib Invazion
Madlib's been on a bit of a mad one over the last 6/7 years. The whole Gibbs collaboration seems to have sparked a new air with a pairing that can go toe-to-toe with the elites of the game. Sound Ancestors steps out of that spotlight and into the late night dingy dungeon studio sessions.
Sound Ancestors is a bit of a weird one. It seems all over the place and somewhat scattered, then it aligns with a laser pointed focus to let the listener in on a little secret, that its all intentional. Some artists are more interested in the creation of an experience rather than a straight up track after track record. This is one of those experiences. It can get frustrating to listen to at times as it breaks its flow on countless occasions but that’s all part of the aforementioned experience, I think.
I've found myself frustrated with Madlib on countless occasions in the past as you get the feeling that he can do 'better' for one reason or another. It can sometimes feel like he's not actually trying. As with any master of their craft it can become a real love/hate affair. Whenever the train picks up its pace and gets rolling down the track it comes to a halt for an unforeseen reason. Almost as if the music has become sentient and no longer wishes to serve the listener.
It can be like pulling teeth at times. Like all enigmatic things you have to stand back and let time tell its tales. You never know what you’re going to get with Madlib and there's a true beauty to that. You cant expect everything to hit square on, in true Madlib fashion it feels slightly left of center. When its executed well left of center is where magic happens. Sound Ancestors can sound, at times, like a jam session with no inherent purpose. Some of it will hit and some of it will miss. Its a game of ying and yang.
This may seem like a slightly negative take on Sound Ancestors, its not. I like it. I guess my expectations were in another place is all. After seeing the 40 minute runtime a precise and to the point release was on the cards, at least in my mind. I'm still yet to understand Four Tet's roll in this also.
