When infamous abstract
electronica
label
Warp
started its
hip-hop
branch, known as
Lex Records
, one hoped that the same A&R sophistication that had brought the world
Aphex Twin
and
Autechre
would shine some light on the
experimental
realm of
, giving music lovers a much-needed break from the eternal cycle of redundant beat-making that seems to seismically shift every three to four years, only to suffer from unbearable stagnation in between. Listening to the beats on
DJ Signify
's debut release, there are moments of terrific innovation, but equal amounts of utterly dated
trip-hop
dirge. The opener,
"Fly Away,"
is not a good start, groaning like vintage
Mo' Wax
for the first four minutes. But then the coda kicks in with a wickedly upbeat scratch-up of
Latin
samba
samples, making you believe that everything is going to be all right. This method of tease and withdraw becomes the premise of the entire record, meaning that the distinctive jack-step beat of
"Haunted House Party"
gives way to an all-too-familiar
Eminem
cadence, which is particularly disheartening given the hope that MCs
Buck 65
Sage Francis
would come up with something a little more original. But listeners shouldn't hold this completely against
Signify
and company. It has been proven again and again that
, much like evolution, goes through long periods of stasis with sporadic fits of change. The
Lex
roster still remains well ahead of the curve. ~ Joshua Glazer