aerate - N1603 IV --//MISPLACED
“They say actions speak louder than words. Well, there ya go then!”
aerate’s just one of those dudes you have to marvel at - he’s like 20 years old, been making beats for almost ten years and already sounds like a seasoned vet. Everytime I see his name pop up on a compilation tape or even his entry to the recent dibiflipsession I’m hype for what I’m about to hear. It’s rare I’d describe beats as otherworldly, but you can truly lose yourself in MISPLACED, with what feels like the culmination of his many years of expanding influences and hard work, into something that feels cohesive and tight but bursting with creativity. In the best way possible, this is about as close a tape has gotten to evoking in me the same feeling of Daft Punk’s Discovery - as soon as ‘revelation’ hits I feel like I’m launched at light speed into the stratosphere and beyond, glowing new Super Mario Galaxy stars being racked up with every new intricate rhythm or loop, only to return back home by the outro. He’s seemed to create a world where soulhop and house live hand-in-hand; bringing the thumping drums and cathartic melodies of deep house together with every snapping snare and rattling hihats that we know so well from this style of instrumental hiphop. Despite the intergalactic voyage, aerate keeps things grounded interweaving interludes of earthly exploration and deep discovery, like you’re hearing the score to a really futuristic nature documentary. But even without the clear intent and overall cohesion of the tape, it would be enough of a joy just to listen to aerate’s beats alone - with fine-tuned pieces of percussion flying left and right but always designed to make you knock your head. It’s amazing to watch this guy grow even in the last couple of years since I got into his music, but right now I think this stands as his finest work and a must-listen in the genre.
KEY BEAT: dark - I’m levitating every time this one slams through right after the fadeout of ‘boulder’, with the same immensely textured drums found all over the album and the heavenly “you’ve got me thinking eeeyyyy” stuck in my head with every new spin.