At first listen, the
92 Vs. 02 EP sounds like
Prefuse 73 has gone out to pasture and returned with something altogether new -- and was so excited he found it that he had to show everyone by tossing out this 15-minute recording. Leaving behind a bulk of the frantic, chopped-up samples and frenetic beats that adorned the groundbreaking 2001 full-length,
Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives, Scott Herren (aka
Prefuse 73) goes for a calmer and more collected approach to instrumental hip-hop. The cut-ups are still present, but the samples are warmer and allowed to set forth texture for a stretch further than the full-length -- which is a good thing because no matter how fresh
Vocal Studies sounded, it was probably more of a departure point for Herren, and now that he's had the chance to soak it in he has also found some inspiration in an unlikely place. While on a tour stop in Detroit for
Vocal Studies, Herren caught wind of a demo from Ann Arbor's
Dabrye. Herren quickly became a fan of
Dabrye's debut,
One/Three, and signed him up for a slot on the Eastern Developments roster (Herren's own label). The result,
Instrmntl, is in some ways as close a representation of
92 Vs. 02 as
Vocal Studies + Uprock Narratives. There's no doubt that this is still a
Prefuse 73 production, and a pretty darn good one at that. Albeit, one that is a bit short in length, but tall enough for some good, clean fun. ~ Sam Samuelson