Madlib & Kieran Hebden – Sound Ancestors (2021) – LITTLE LOST CLASSICS

I rescued this album to listen to today while I was coming to work and my phone kept popping up with messages. I thought to myself 'fuck it, I'm going to turn on do not disturb and listen to a fluid sound, to unscrew the mental screws', and in a quick and final search before disconnecting the brain HD it was Sound ancestors who jumped in front.

The story of this album is very simple, although it took years to complete: for a long time the genius Madlib sent a bunch of beats and content from unfinished studio sessions to his longtime friend and fellow genius Kieran Hebden (the man behind Four Tet, but not only. Seek information, young padawan…), on a tour like 'see if something interests you and check it out'.

Hebden, a guy as busy as his beatmaker friend, took a while to dive into the sea with hundreds of files, but when he did, he rearranged, edited, cut, pasted, manipulated and combined in different ways to create a record to be heard from beginning to end (as if there was any other way to listen to an album hahaha).

The result, credited only to Madlib but actually made by 4 hands, is an exquisite work, full of influences and samples that shows the firepower and musical knowledge of the two guys, with Kieran adding chunks of psychedelia, post-punk, jazz , soul and escambau (ranging from Ethics to Young Marble Giants, think about it) to the beats, loops and experiments of Otis Jackson Jr. Is it hip-hop? Yes, but it also 'looks' like Four Tet. It's a great album, simple as that.

Now if you also need to disconnect from the worldly chaos, press play and have a good trip guaranteed.

Turn it on. And turn it off.