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MH-266 Thavius Beck - Dialogue  On Dialogue, his third full-length for Mush Records, Thavius Beck continues to push the boundaries of hip-hop beatmaking, grounding lo-fi digital drum kits in icy layers of synths and sliced up samples. Fresh off of production duties on Saul Williams’ Niggy Tardust album with Trent Reznor, Beck’s work on Dialogue is razor sharp. This release also finds Thavius spending more time in front of the mic, delivering the type of rhymes that originally gained him notoriety as a member of Global Phlowtations. The consummate iconoclast, Beck cleverly critiques many of America's ills with a dry, satirical wit that never falls into preachiness. With each passing release, Thavius Beck continues to prove that the only musical boundaries he sees are ones he has already left behind. |
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| Reviews Summary |
| It's an impressive illustration of what hip-hop can and should be:adventurous, demanding and energising. Will.I.Am take note. - Clash / One of the Best Albums of 2009. - LA City Beat / His flow is as unremarkable as his conscious, anti-mainstream message. You can hear flickers of a possible new hip-hop.- The Wire / Buy it, play it, freak yourself out. - The Skinny |
| Reviews | |
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| Perhaps because Thavius Beck laces his lyrics integrally with his beats, Dialogue is a daunting prospect on first listen. Grime-speed lyrics that encompass hermetic philosophy, vigorous social commentary and deeply personal reflection sometimes get lost in the heavy rush of electronic kicks and bass synths. However, repeated listens unravel more meaning and subtlety in Beck's flawless double-time flow, encouraged by the sub-three minute duration of most tracks. The wonky rhythms of "Hardcore" evoke Rusty and Zomby, while the freaked-out 8-bit keys and challenging manifestos issued on "4 Part 2" are genuinely difficult to categorise. Smashing boundaries within electronic music and hip-hop simultaneously, it's hard to be anything but awed by this album, though it's likely to scare less adventurous hip-hop heads and dance music fans. Buy it, play it, freak yourself out. - The Skinny |
