There’s a high concept to these releases from Sheik ‘N’ Beik, as each release is meant to celebrate and, one would guess, evoke the “diversity and history of New York and its boroughs.”
JEM’s Daisy Cutter is the one dedicated to The Bronx, but I didn’t even notice that. Daisy Cutter is one of the most slickly produced experimentally inclined records I’ve heard in all of 2018. I’ve gotten lost in the tweaky techno of the title track, which for me evokes not The Bronx but 500 W. Cermak in Chicago and a DJ named Hyperactive blowing up a bunch of teenagers’ fragile little minds. There is a groove buried in here that is fucking irresistible: the various FX and clicks and psycho echoes do not obscure but are draped across like the finest ornaments. “Neb” is a fascinating journey into the kind of far-flung territories where Hieroglyphic Being frequently travels. The B-Side is wide open: an acid churn and layered beats hang over another dangerously addictive groove on “Semiotic” and the wall-eyed trippiness of “Temple.” I feel like a former junkie or cult member explaining the temptations and allure that lead to their self-destruction when describing this beautiful dose of music. The devil’s in these beats.
JEM: Daisy Cutter (Sheik ‘N’ Beik)
A1. JEM: “Daisy Cutter” (5:58)
A2. JEM: “Neb” (6:36)
B1. JEM: “Semiotic” (5:58)
B2. JEM: “Temple” (6:17)
The Deep(er) State: Originally published in 5 Magazine #161 featuring Brawther, Hifi Sean, Aathee, Arturo Garces & more. Become a member of 5 Magazine for First & Full Access to Real House Music for only $1 per issue!.
