Fresh
out the Mojave Desert, Warp Record's resident guru Gonjasufi is making a
rare live appearance in London this Saturday. It's been over twelve
months since he topped the bill with a full band at XOYO. Now the
grizzled rapper, DJ and yoga teacher is back with a pungent baggie of
dark new tunes from his latest mini-album, 'MU.ZZ.LE'.
After
flickering into view with a showing on
Flying Lotus’ 'Lost Angeles' record, Gonjasufi first started garnering
serious attention after his 2010 debut LP, 'A Sufi and a Killer'. It's
sprawling, whacked-out blend of glitch-filled hip hop, raw vocals and
DMT-drenched psychedelia signalled something exciting. Gonjasufi -
who moonlights as a yoga instructor - has followed this 20-track
beast with a far tighter production in the form of 'MU.ZZ.LE'. Clocking in at just 25 minutes, it's a darker affair. Vocals are ruthless and distorted, barely cemented by its
draggy, off-kilter rhythms - but the release certainly confirmed the West Coast sound remains in good hands.
Sumach
Ecks - aka Gonjasufi - will be drawing on this impressive
back-catalogue tomorrow night (Sat.) at that bastion of creativity, The
Village Underground. Two DJs, live keyboards and electronics are tipped
to form the bulk of his fellow miscreant musicians. Expect weird,
expect astral. He's had LA’s finest producers behind him but this
idiosyncratic vocalist is far more fear and loathing in the Mojave than
the Pacific dream, so it should be an experience. The show kicks off
round 11pm; in support are Om Unit and Blue Daisy.
Jack Losh |