Jel

IIf you're unfamiliar with the Chicago-bred, Bay-area based producer/rapper born Jeffrey Logan, he's on the shortlist for best indie rap producer of the last decade. Admittedly, this sort of hyperbole comes standard issue in one-sheets, but Jel has the necessary resume. His career traces back to Deep Puddle Dynamics, a group featuring Slug of Atmosphere and Jel's frequent collaborator, Doseone. Later forming Subtle, Themselves, and 13 & God (with The Notwist), Jel and Dose's blitzkrieg experimentations remain visionary and futuristic-they're also among the few times rock and rap have ever successfully gotten high together. Most recently, Jel co-produced the Kenny Dennis EP and C.A.R. with Odd Nosdam for label mate, Serengeti. On paper, it seems a little strange that his new release Late Pass is only his third official solo record. But not when you consider its meticulousness. Samples, hard-slapping drums, and damaged vocals are stitched with surgical precision. Six years in the making, Late Pass was casually co-produced by Odd Nosdam at his cottage studio. For the final mix at the legendary Fantasy Studios, engineer Jesse Nichols used the very same model SSL mixing board that Dr. Dre favored throughout the late 80's and 90's. Imagine Public Enemy's Bomb Squad detonating explosives under the prog-rock grooves of German experimental behemoths, Can. These ideas seem mutually exclusive, but they're not. Jel is successfully reconciling warring genres. His sound is noisy and intense but it swings enough to make your head nod. It's a psychedelic sample collage, but one that avoids the usual clichés. It isn't trippy or cinematic. It will leave you dizzy, not because of a druggy vibe, but because your face has been slapped and your head spun around several times. You might recognize some of your favorite rap lines turned distorted and sunburned.

Links
www.anticon.com