Uncle_EL has this esoteric hip hop and downtempo sound on lock. B L E S S I N G S is his second album and both of them are built for heavy rotation. The first, 2019’s Now U C Me? on Chicago’s ETC Records was simply one of the best records of 2019, 9 tracks of dance rhythms sewn together with some of the deepest bass and dopest beats imaginable. Uncle_EL taps into a pulse of creation that DJ Krush and MF Doom have previously tapped, jams it in the MPC memory diskette and makes it his own.
B L E S S I N G S is a little longer and a few decibels louder than Now U C Me?, with 14 tracks that obsessively play with mood, feeling and the outer reaches of rhythm. LoFi aficionados will find a lot to love in exclamatory tracks like “AwwwRiiight” and “JusMissedIt.” Jumping out of line is the stoned funk swagger of “DooInit” and “PutItInReverse” (which seems to have backwards hats, slap bass and other elements). Some music takes time to grow on you, dig its roots in and wrap itself around you.
The music of Uncle_EL sounds good on its first listen and better as time goes on.
Uncle_EL: B L E S S I N G S (October 2020 / Digital)
1. Uncle_EL: 1000 Grams. (02:06)
2. Uncle_EL: Am I Late? (02:27)
3. Uncle_EL: AwwwRiiight (02:05)
4. Uncle_EL: DooInIt (02:33)
5. Uncle_EL: Duffle. (02:56)
6. Uncle_EL: TheQuickie (02:28)
7. Uncle_EL: PutItInReverse (02:45)
8. Uncle_EL: Imagination (02:32)
9. Uncle_EL: JusMissedIt (02:27)
10. Uncle_EL: 20/20 pt2 (01:43)
11. Uncle_EL: AFreeKaToto (01:50)
12. Uncle_EL: Chanel Ski Mask SZN (02:33)
13. Uncle_EL: RecordLo (03:05)
14. Uncle_EL: Thank.Yous (02:23)
This was originally published in 5 Mag issue 186 featuring the history of As You Like It, Seven Davis Jr and more. Support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.
