About: "To the casual listener, hip-hop has always been a music form that is about its visceral power, a force to make its partakers revel in the moment through the shaking of asses. A common misconception about hip-hop is that it’s solely dance music for people lacking an affinity for the open hi-hat and bass drum stomp of the Euro-club sound. Less informed listeners tend to overlook hip-hop’s capacity to be a vehicle for pensiveness, instead simplifying the artform into one-dimensional party music that sometimes comes with a political conscience (backpacker hip-hop). In their minds, there is absolutely no way that hip-hop could possibly compete with ambient music as the soundtrack of choice for thoughtful reflection.
Aether’s beautifully layered, meticulously textured debut LP, Artifacts, which is unquestionably a hip-hop record, serves to challenge that claim. While only one MC is present on the album (in the form of a ghostly, sampled verse on its final track), its gritty drum loops, propensity for sampling, and emphasis on simple, groove-heavy rhythms allow it to fit comfortably into the genre. These aren’t mere soundscapes; each piece is driven by drum tracks that only enhance the hypnotic feel of the album. Each of the San Antonio producer’s tracks possesses a tragic sense of nostalgia, achieved through the use of some of the most basic elements of hip-hop. Choppy, hard-hitting percussion tracks, manipulated, low bit-rate string samples, and ethereal, soulful vocals form the core of the record’s musical palette. The gorgeous melancholia present on all sixteen tracks makes the album a cozy place to nurse your head when you’re not in the mood to be lulled into slumber by Brian Eno. Artifacts may not get anyone in the zone on the dance floor, but it’s perfect music to zone out to."
