devonwho: Offworld (Leaving Records, 2020)

September 6, 2020 at 2:09 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

devonwho: Offworld

devonwho’s first release in years was created during a period in which he relocated back to Oregon from California. While it starts out sounding like the wonky, laid-back hip-hop we might expect from him, it quickly spins off into other directions, in an exciting way. “soar” is halfway between footwork and synth-funk, then “blas” is a radioactive pinwheel of jittery percussion and soothing synths. “queue” is another track that creates a blissful vibe, then ups the complexity on the beats, making it seem extra excited. “tricorder” doubles down on that astral bounce, while “cars” has a slow, heavy thunk for a beat but still manages to float high in the clouds. Then “wave” is another one that fuses prickly IDM and juke, but keeps things on the uplifting, non-aggressive side. Very illuminating, inventive stuff here, looking forward to hearing where he takes his sound next.

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