It goes without saying that in South Florida harbors a diverse pool of immigrants. We are in a constant state of flux, with different ideas anchored in life outside our world intermingling with our own. Many Diasporic communities meet in our little tip of the US, usually with excellent results.
Chilean-born DJ Manuvers has been calling this area home for a long time, as does glitch hop-bass scene queen Yarlen. It's no surprise that their new EP, The Drive Home, comes to us via Discos Pegaos, a digital label based out of Santiago de Chile. I can almost smell the Mapocho in it.
Just kidding.
What I do smell are some ambient, bassy concoctions that are perfect for the current and upcoming Florida summer heat. This album really does drive you home. And it does do in the way that a good mixtape gets the job done, or rather, works like an EP should: all killer, no filler.
Local rhymer J. Nics opens the EP on "Parlor" for some sweet alternative hip-hop, reminiscent of Kool Keith on PCP. It pairs nicely with "Hit Her with the One Two" which features the lyrical stylings of Akin. This gives the EP a nice balance, because tracks like "Get Up" and "Scribble Hearts" (which features Ketchy Shubby's Jay Jo Hero) are closer to lo-fi disco and environmental instrumental. Though seemingly out of place, they follow the underlying production values of the aforementioned tracks for an overall effect that is as succinct as it is satisfying. Credit that to DJ Raff's mix and masterizing with a keen ear for blending multiple styles.
"A Strand of Your Memory" closes it out and it is in this tone poem that Manuvers and Yarlen bring the ride to a stop and deliver you unto your destination with the calm and ease of a mother caressing a newborn child. Yeah, it's that soothing and calming.
Did I mention you can get this for free by clicking here? Don't be a summer-sap, hop on this before they stop giving it away!
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