On his previous albums, Daedelus merged a unique ear for outmoded sounds with updated technology, stealing bits of film scores and vintage 78s and gluing them to chunks of hip-hop and drum and bass rhythms, all while crosscutting between pieces of sound so rapidly that he must get finger calluses and wear out sampler buttons with regularity. After detours into musique concrete and full-length hip-hop production alongside LA rhymer Busdriver, Daedelus returns to his thrift shop aesthetic with Exquiste Corpse.
Like Luke Vibert in Wagon Christ mode, Daedelus' sampling ear tends towards the whimsical, yet everything is assembled seriously - even when wistful "La, La, La" and a sunny 70's flute accompany Sci's rap on "Move On" they are there to complement the vocalist and integrate him into Daedelus' creaky aged world, not to undercut him. The unfortunately short "Impending Doom" spins a lilting 40's style orchestra under the incomparably loopy MF Doom, and fellow sampler man Prefuse 73 adds his trademark squeaky melodies to the easy sway of "Welcome Home," just two of the well-chosen collaborations here.
However, much of Exquiste Corpse is Daedelus working alone, like "Fallen Love" which drops a syrupy old vocal amid jittery drums working overtime, or slowing the beat down and letting the edit seams show on "i. Sent Off." Daedelus' world is weird and wonderful, like setting a hundred Victrolas off to play in a room simultaneously with an MPC watching over them: sometimes they fly off into a cacophony of junk sounds, and sometimes they synchronize beautifully. On Exquiste Corpse they synchronize more often than not. - Grooves |
1XLP/Out Of Print