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March 28, 2024


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Prefuse 73
One Word Extinguisher / Extinguished: Outtakes (Warp Records)

By: Cam Lindsay

Scott Herren continues to be one of the leading underground hip-hop producers, even after his brilliant 2001 debut, Vocal Studies and Uprock Narratives, under the guise Prefuse 73. His follow-up, One Word Extinguisher, begins where he left off, but this time around, Herren has given listeners a more complete lesson in how to switch up hip-hop. Retaining the glitches and the abstract edge that had everyone scratching their heads over whether he was IDM or some new terrain of hip-hop, One Word delves deeper into Herren's distinct tastes, mixing in atypical R&B with even more countless cut-ups, tempo shifts and interludes. His sense of humor also rises to the occasion with the hilarious skit "Altoid Addiction" and recording Mr. Lif's vocals with a minidisc mic, not to mention the subtle samples scattered throughout the entire record. His fantastic ear for producing club anthems is staggering, with tracks such as "Detchibe" and "Why I Love You" spitting out beats even more intimidating and innovative than a whole stack of Neptunes singles.

As if that weren't enough, accompanying the album is a separate EP of outtakes, aptly titled Extinguished: Outtakes. Featuring a whopping 23 tracks in 38 minutes, it's unbelievable to think these tracks didn't make the album. Herren's throw aways are what most artists could only dream of making. The amount of music he has expelled through these two releases makes you wonder just how long it will be before he starts sipping on the crystal with P-Diddy and rejecting offers by J-Lo and Madonna. A+

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