One lazy day last August, I found myself on the Northern coast of Denmark with one of my Danish friends. She wanted to go swimming in the sea. It was sunny and technically “summer,” but in Denmark summer can sometimes be around 60 degrees. My Floridian, warm-blooded self was not that enthused about getting into the water. However, the sun was strong. The longer I roasted in it, the more appealing the undoubtedly cool water became.
‘Basinskitarian’ conveys a memorable oceanic quality.
I gathered the courage to approach the water and just sat down where the tide came in. To my friend’s amusement, I proclaimed I would just lie down there allowing the water to engulf me. The cold sea was a refreshing contrast to the heat of the sun and surprisingly comfortable considering that the temperature was crisp and in the ’60s. This seemingly strange but comfortable combination — laying in the sand, the cold air, the cold sea, and the hot sun — are what come to my mind when listening to “Basinskitarian.”
Combine kaleidoscopic hip-hop, a sense of space, and emotionally resonant electronics and then you will find yourself confronted with producer Guillermo S. Herren, otherwise known as Prefuse 73. He is back with his first solo album in three years, Sacrifices, which is set to release on May 25 via Lex Records.
“Basinskitarian” is the first single from the album. The fusion of sounds reminds me of the fusion of elements I encountered swimming in the North Sea. Moreover, the song itself has an oceanic and watery quality with its long synths followed by a melodic beat. The long synths are also eerily reminiscent of the long and lasting sounds of a traditional organ and bring a spacy, extraterrestrial quality to the music. This should come as no surprise because of Prefuse 73’s ability to “merge the manic to the melodic.”
You can pre-order Sacrifices here and keep up with Prefuse 73 on his Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.
