Feb
20

The Natural Traits of Ernest Gonzales

Jonah Bromwich’s most natural trait is telepathy. One of electronic music’s most enjoyable characteristics is its ability to seem alien. It can seem like the kind of advanced sound that everyone will listen to once the singularity takes over and our bodies are ½ nanobot. It’s easy to forget that the beats are crafted according… Continue reading »

Feb
17

No Church for Old Men: Joe and Reggie Watch the Throne

Jonah Bromwich only proposed once to a girl at the mall. She said “probably.” Watch the Throne has come and gone and viewpoints have vacillated wildly. But from my original, hyperbolic, disgusted reaction to the more moderate viewpoint I hold now, one opinion has not changed a bit. These beats are pretty goddamn good. Yes,… Continue reading »

Feb
16

Elle Varner’s “Conversational Lush”

Jonah Bromwich is more in favor of the alliterative phrase, “loquacious lush.” R&B singer Elle Varner has mastered a tricky combination of old-fashioned romanticism and new-school playfulness. On her recent mixtape Conversational Lush, the RCA freshman establishes a winning persona, injecting large doses of her personality into tracks that are clearly structured by someone who… Continue reading »

Feb
14

Somebody Best Beware of my Crew: Shlohmo Remixes the Weeknd (and that other guy)

Jonah Bromwich wishes they had come up with a better name for this song. It’s November 2011 and I’m back in DC for Thanksgiving, hanging out with some of my friends from high school. Drake’s album has just come out and I’ve dutifully reviewed it over on my own site. In my review, I say… Continue reading »

Feb
13

Here Here: Curren$y’s Peerless Consistency

Jonah Bromwich is on standby to join the J.E.T.S. Here we go again. It’s early in the year and Curren$y is on his grind, releasing an EP as casually as you or I would decide to drop an extra twenty-five cents into the Salvation Army bucket. Here is typically excellent: beat selection on point with… Continue reading »

Feb
07

Shlohmo’s Vacation

Jonah Bromwich’s favorite vacation spot is the Isle of Wight. There’s only so much concrete meaning that we can infer from beatmakers’ music. Without lyrics acting as signposts, all we have to go on is tempo, mood and the occasional sample. Not much really. That’s what makes it so fun when a producer like Shlohmo… Continue reading »

Feb
06

Ride the Pace Like At 33 Dark Shades: Gangrene, Evidence & Roc C Throw Shade

Jonah Bromwich moves on to the year 3000. The knock on Gangrene is fair: the beats are mostly more interesting than the raps. The easy fix is Evidence, the slow-flow professional, who adds his pedigree to a beat which echoes the dank inter-workings of a futuristic factory — the slow-clanging and gurgles suggesting the mechanical… Continue reading »

Feb
03

Should you bank on Azealia?

Jonah Bromwich slightly prefers Ashley Banks. What made “212″ great? It’s actually pretty easy to explain. 1. It came from a person that no one had ever heard of. 2. It was well-rapped, (incredibly well-rapped, actually) by a person that no one had ever of. 3. It was raunchy as hell, while being well-rapped, by… Continue reading »

Jan
24

Meg Myers, Motherfuckin’ Monster

Jonah Bromwich blinks plenty, thank you. Meg Myers doesn’t blink enough. It’s not as if she never blinks, but they come a little too rarely for someone who’s purporting to be a regular human being. Between the fifteen seconds that the “Monster” video takes to ramp up and the fifteen it takes to wind down,… Continue reading »

Jan
19

Ring Ring: Rick Ross is “Rich Forever”

Jonah Bromwich knows Herbert Hoover. The real Herbert Hoover. It’s safe to say that no one really thinks that Mike Tyson is still cool. So when Rick Ross, liver of the most exquisite of lifestyles and all-around ambawseador includes a quote from Iron Mike about a change in priorities at the start of his new… Continue reading »

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