Audio By Carbonatix
If musical styles are skyscrapers, then Degenerate is the sound of towers falling. Though it traverses the ruins of dubstep, industrial, hip-hop, and jungle, the album is mostly defined by its aggressive sparseness, the product of the pair’s Timbalandesque reverence for between-beat space. It’s so desolate there isn’t even a place offered to a posturing, wordplay-deficient MC anywhere over the course of its two discs. Vex’d instead captivates via its beats, which aren’t merely broken — they’re uneven. Crisp drum sounds boom, clap, collapse, and repeat hypnotically with only the simplest of accompaniment (a ragga sample here, a K-hole bass line there, an impression of a melody over there, and white noise all around). It’s the sound of now: shocking, awe-inspiring, and post-absolutely everything. If nothing else, it should keep the cockroaches happy.
When news happens, Miami New Times is there —
Your support strengthens our coverage.
We’re aiming to raise $30,000 by December 31, so we can continue covering what matters most to you. If Miami New Times matters to you, please take action and contribute today, so when news happens, our reporters can be there.
