DJ Krush - Kakusei

Kakusei: a definition of abstract hip-hop, a work of a genius.

This is one of the greatest instrumental albums i have ever heard in my life. There is not a single track that is not in sync with the rest of the album. Krush made everything sound so simple but if you listen carefully, you can hear the dedication and hard work he put behind this work. It's sad that Kakusei is rare album to find nowadays. If you ever find this in your record store, buy it !

DJ Krush's unique brand of mellow instrumental hip-hop has always been a point of pleasure, and _Kakusei_ is no different. From the deep tones of the "Intro" to the simple piano chords in "Deltaforest," he manages to bring things to a nice even keel. Although I wouldn't term his work abstract, I would say it's definitely spare. Krush doesn't waste time with extraneous sounds or overly distracting noises -- he's got the beat, the bass, and the melody. "The Dawn" brings in some strings and saxophone, but the mood remains defiantly chill. Unfortunately, he reprises that mood a little too much in "Rust," but the light touch of "1200" quickly smooths over the rough spot. The ghost of Ennio Morricone haunts the instrumental version of "Final Home," but when Esthero adds her vocals to the mix, she adds an earthiness that gives the track some real pop.

DJ Krush is known as an excellent beats producer. Kakusei ("The Awakening") is one of his releases that make his skill truly shine. Be it laid-back or driving, kicking or shuffling, the beats are what makes this record absolutely outstanding in his catalog.

Most tracks on this album are based on extremely limited instrumentation, such as only drums and a piano loop. Reducing the music to mostly beats is makes this release haunting in its simplicity.

A record that might be considered bland on first listen, getting deeper into Kakusei rewards the listener with a quite unique experience of minimal, yet sophisticated music.

Favorites here include 'Inorganizm' which really kicks off at the 4 minute mark with ominous orchestration, the moody orchestration and stuttering beats of 'The Dawn', laid-back '1200' which brings in a cool bass line in the second part, 'The Kinetics' with its ace scratching ("Is there any other sounds you guys can scratch besides .. ptchhhhh?"), 'Final Home' in its instrumental outing and of course 'No More' with a wicked bass line and double bass frenzy in the second part. There really is no filler on this album though.

Kakusei should be considered a milestone in Krush's production career and one of the bold releases that opened hip-hop to different musical horizons.