I have only recently started exploring his productions but I am quickly becoming a big fan of French producer Débruit. Though his name seems to have been around for a while, On the Horizon, is his first full length album. The album draws on a resource of samples from a diverse range of West African music, cutting them up and melting them into hip-hop beats and gloopy synths. The end product of three years of collecting field recordings, dusting off old cassettes and searching for the right samples and incorporating them into his unique sound. The preview is sounding top-notch – like West Coast US dilla-hop meets Western Africa: assured beats combined with vocal lines, lo-fi rhythms and polyrhythmic melodies.
From the Horizon is a continuation of the Parisian’s history of mixing folkloric influences into his Hip-Hop led productions, as demonstrated on his 3D EPs Spatio Temporel and Sis Sürpriz. It is interesting to compare Débruit’s approach to “folklore” with that of Maga Bo on his fantastic latest album Quilombo do Futuro. Two very different approaches to the idea of fusing tradition with modernity and organic with electronic. From The Horizon is released through Civil Music on the 4th of June. And finally, well-worth checking out Débruit’s live set at the Boiler Room from a few weeks back:
Rhythm and Roots 