Getting to know Alex B: Colorado producer plays Low End Theory, debuts exclusive MP3
Of course, Los Angeles’ emergence as a beat import and export hub is no longer a secret, with a recent Top 10 list from Thom Yorke dominated by Low End Theory-affiliated artists. And British dance music maven Mary Anne Hobbs just announced a monthlong “Volcano Refugee Party” in the city, hosting the next two weeks of her BBC1Xtra show with ministrations from the near-entirety of the Alpha Pup and Brainfeeder rosters.
Headlining Wednesday's Low End Theory along with Ninja Tune-signed King Cannibal, Alex B might not sport a ZIP code that starts with “9-0,” but the West Coast sound is ingrained in his interstellar inclinations and ruthlessly blunted beats. In advance of the performance, Pop & Hiss is premiering “Getting to Know You,” a song that encompasses the breadth of “Moments" -- a stunning collection of discrete sequences that lives up to its ambitious nomenclature.
Bookended by Lilla D’mone’s buoyant coo, “Getting to Know You” is partly trip-hop reinvented for the medical marijuana set, partly a phosphorous ball of energy, compacted with gently curving synths and giddy drum patterns. Like the album itself, it’s a wonderful contradiction: simultaneously despondent and danceable, brooding and brightly lit, the sort of record best listened to in the occult hours, buried underneath an avalanche of elements -- whether chemical or climatic.
-- Jeff Weiss
Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Katzenberg
Download:
MP3: Alex B - "Getting to Know You" (Pop & Hiss Premiere)
MP3: Alex B - Brain Food Mix