DJ Earl - Above and Beyond

By now I think everyone who is familiar with Earl's music knows what to expect from a release of his and true to form his 'Above and Beyond' LP delivers. The 21 year old producer is simultaneously one of the coldest footworkers in the game and somewhow one of the most soulful. This human/machine dichotomy is elegantly provoked through the album's 11 tracks and shows much more finesse than Earl's self-titled EP early this year. Earl represents that kind of purism that makes the Ghettotekz so obsessively listenable, and the album features some of your most quint-essential Ghettotek sounds: jazz, funk, cold gangsta vocals and face melting saw-wave sirens. 'Studio 73 Pt. 2' the opening track is a classic example of that saw-wave drone that while sounding extremely cold and unhuman carries a lot of emotional weight and is exacerbated by the attritional effect of the repetition. The same can be said for 'Feelin' Myself' with is brutal minimalism and cutting vocal sample or 'TroniKStringz' with it air of utter despair. Yet the albums finest moments are found on the more friendly soul/funk side of things, 'Eyes to the Sky' and 'C'mon Back' have that hyped up yet laid back groviness and are both absolute joys to listen to. This album is definitely not going to blow any minds as it's typical of both the style and the quality that Earl is synonymous with, but then again, you can't fault an album thats this well-constructed and enjoyable.