OLASEGUN - JUST A SLICE

I first got into OLASEGUN through inspectah k’s incredible YT mixes, diving into a range of sounds and samples the legendary producer had concocted over the years. I might be completely wrong but this feels like his Donuts to me; after years of produce, presenting one of his last solo tapes as a collection of loops across 2017-18. The resulting project feels grimier and dustier than some of his other work, like it’s submerged under water with wavy piano tones echoing through the pool. The intrigue of his music is hard to put into words for me, but it’s ultimately some of the grittiest and hardest-hitting lofi hiphop I’ve heard, presenting slivers of unique loops before they wane off, 33 times over. His drum placement is deceitfully simple and I think carries a lot of complexity with every dusty snareroll or double hit, or every time a kick knocks off beat to throw you off. Sometimes he’ll let everything from a xylophone to a vintage vocal loop smoothly ride out, or he’ll present them as stabs or little hits of a single note or vocal chop, offering new ways of thinking about traditionally-flipped samples. The thing that stands out to me about the tape over many is in its imperfections whether intentional or not; extended tape hiss that goes longer than it needs, tiny hits of muddy bass like it wasn’t meant to be there, or the sample completely dropping out for a second, only to come back in completely panned to the left. It gives an already colourful project so much more character, like the beats were unintentionally altered in the recording process from beginning to end. He’s a renowned legend and this tape only adds to an outstanding backcatalogue - whether OLASEGUN’s dishing up just a slice of greater songs or a taste of what else has to offer, it doesn’t really matter - every beat hits.

KEY BEAT: Reborn - I messed with Zedd’s Clarity so hard when I was a teen and the flip on this really brought me back, looping Foxes’ beautiful vocals and sombre pianos behind snappy shakers and snares.