Prefuse 73
The 92' VS '02 Collection EP
(Warp Records)
Scott Herren is on a damn roll. He's one of those musicians that's so damn prolific he has to have 3 different names for himself just so he can get all his work out there. Unlike some artists who record under lots of different names, though (who will remain un-named for now), Herren seems to either be just a little bit better at the game or have a higher level of quality control in regards to what he unleashes upon the world.
When he dropped Vocal Studies And Uprock Narratives last year, I thought (and still do think) it was one of the most innovative things I'd heard in quite awhile. While hip-hop's certainly been put through the blender in the past couple of years, he did it with a panache and freshness that I just hadn't heard before. It was exciting, it skittered and jumped, and it was something that kept a listener on their toes.
Following up last years release quickly, The 92' VS '02 Collection EP finds the different sounds of Herren's other projects (Savath + Savalas and Delarosa + Asora) bleeding through and into the mix a little more. While it's still definitely a Prefuse 73 release, the smoother feel of Savath drifts into the mix more. "Desks, Pencils, Bottles" opens the disc with some clever play between sampled clinks and clicks of the titled items while shifting back and forth between smooth, wheezy jazz and just enough stuttering funk to keep things hopping. "When Irony Wears Thin" starts off with a bit of cut-up MC vocals before dropping off into more glitchy jazz (including a simple, repetitive two-tone sampled horn melody).
The last two tracks on the disc feel a little bit more familiar to last years release, as "It Never Entered" bumps along with a thick beat, electronic squelches, and sampled female vocals "ah-ing." "Love You Bring" closes out the short release with dusty orchestral swells offset with chimes and more cut-up female vocals and a chunky beat. While it's a little less fullfilling than the Vocal Studies And Uprock Narratives, that's in part due to the shorter running time, and just as he really gets into the groove on the last tracks, the release is soon over. Still, as mentioned above, Herren is on top of his art right now, and this is still better than most of what you're going to find out there.
Rating: 7.75
