He winked briefly at his friends before jumping off the train. The train was moving at full speed, but he jumped anyway. Nobody saw him land—and then he was gone. I saw this scene while listening to the preview of Nefelejcs by Àbáse—a German-based, groovy outfit. The music features micro-edits that are almost as on the nose as the sample slicing you’d see on a J Dilla record; and, like beloved albums like Dilla’s Donuts, the expressivity on this record doesn’t warrant a vocalist telling their story—the jazzy articulation tells the story itself.
Oh, did you want a banger? Àbáse has you covered—smothered, if you’re not careful! The banging beats and alternating harpsichord, violin, and live, rapidly performed drums will overtake your senses. “Bewildered” is how I’d best describe my first reaction; either that, or I was beguiled… It’s shocking how Àbáse crammed so many layers into four minutes and twenty-five seconds. If you’re a fan of feeding your brain, or perhaps of warping to a different dimension (see what I did there, ;)), then do check out this preview of Nefelejcs. I’m saving it for later and will definitely revisit it once it’s fully released.