| As there's been no shortage of star-studded accompaniment to grace his tracks (Mike Ladd, Prefuse 73, MF Doom), Daedelus's Midas touch seems to get him whatever he wants. But on his new album, Denies the Day's Demise, the L.A.–based producer strikes out on his own with guns ablaze, effectively shattering the subdued forms of Exquisite Corpse, and laying claim to the relatively uncharted land of electro-tropicalia. Through his reinterpretation of bossa-nova rhythms on tracks like "Our Last Stand" and the aptly titled "Bahia," Daedelus's knowledge of Brazilian music as well as his courage to experiment both shine through. Where the majority of the beats from Exquisite Corpse sounded stripped down in a transparent nod to hiphop, Denies the Day's Demise overflows with a rugged brand of techno loaded with dense, disassembled clips of organic percussion and caustic synths. The album's second track, "Sundown," begins with Amir Yaghmai's gentle singing and Daedelus's guitar plucking, transitions into a sea of hand claps, then finally erupts into an Amon Tobin–like onslaught of frenetic, chopped-up jungle breaks created with a symphony of sampled Latin percussion. Marking a stark departure from its former output, Daedelus's new disc may perplex fans of Exquisite Corpse's decisive hiphop sound. But if you try to wrap your head around its complex layers, you will perceive the real majesty of Denies the Day's Demise. - The Stranger |
2XLP/Out Of Print