So I’ve been on somewhat of an instrumental hip-hop kick this year, and Dimlite has been one of the unequivocal gems I’ve discovered. He is Swiss producer extraordinaire, Dimitri Grimm. And here’s a little blurb I found on the label website: “During the week that he was allowed to toy around with this first piece of real gear, he filled a whole tape with all kinds of circling noises and atmospheres with the purpose to make «music to smoke to».” I Like how they put it.

This Is Embracing is one of those albums that may seem cold and distant at first blush, but, as always with these things, is anything but. It is a dubbed- and psyched-out jazz-inflected hip-hop diamond awaiting discovery.

Although placed in the running with current heavyweights like Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke, or Samiyam, this album aspires more to the smoky intellectual, jazzy majesty of a DJ Spooky LP like Optometry or Songs of a Dead Dreamer.

And to be perfectly (and possibly sacrilegiously) honest, although I wouldn’t place it on the same level, this LP reminds me of a certain DJ Shadow masterpiece. That’s right, Endtroducing… It’s not that I’m comparing the two, but as a reference point, this fits the bill. If you’re into the sound of that now-classic masterpiece of sampling savvy and instrumental finesse, you’re almost certain to enjoy Dimlite’s creation.

There really isn’t much more I could say at this moment. Sure, I could go on and detail every track but this is one of those albums made for listening all the way through. A track-by-track breakdown is beside the point with music like this. Get brave.  Dive in. Now Walk.

Listen to the album streaming on Spotify or purchase it at Sonar Kollektiv or Amazon