DJ /rupture is a flat-out musical genius. Preternaturally adept at crafting singularly pure mood explorations whole-cloth out of disparate samples, producer Jace Clayton is nearly as well known for his insightful writing on music. He’s one of my favorite electronic artists working today. One of my favorites of all time, in fact. He’s often lumped in with the humble ‘mash-up dj’ category, which is a grave disservice to the prodigious talent he displays, especially on this album.
First things first: just put the album on now, with a set of headphones (or good stereo with some bass presence). Press play. Absorb. This way, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Uproot is an album which feels so cohesively unified, hypnotically of-a-piece that one could be forgiven for assuming it’s not sample-based upon first listen. Every single moment has so much attention paid to the connections and frictions between beats and vocals, synths and strings, pacing and flow, there are simply no seams in the production. That fact alone places this lp miles above anything traditionally recognized as ‘mash-up’ – this resides on a level closer to Endtroducing or Avalanches than Girl Talk.
Conjuring the ghosts of reggae, dub, afropop, techno, grimy hip hop, dubstep, idm, and even post rock precedents/outliers like Dif Juz or Seefeel, Uproot is a smoky mix of pulsing, impulsively grounded head-nodding beats and extraterrestrial atmospheres. Vocals and orchestral phrases shift in and out of the mix while a constant bed of low-end throb envelops perception. The deeply narcotic sense of comfortable oblivion is overwhelming.
By the final withering reverberation Clayton has taken a journey from flute-peppered break beats through modern avant composers to melancholy post-apocalyptic ambience, conveyed en route by dub ideals and echo-laden empathy. This is an evolution of the soul. A journey of the mind. A fucking incredible mix.
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Note: when you obtain Uproot the tags may be crazy – a predictable result with complicated artists like this. For the proper version check (strangely enough) the last.fm page and simply copy what they’ve got. This will help you know the prominent sample(s) on each track as well as the proper names.
Be sure to read his blog as well: mudd up!
[purchase this, as Clayton himself offers: at iTunes or amazon]
Optimistic Underground 
ahh yes, great to see some DJ /rupture love. I too was astonished by how well the whole “album” flows given the fact that all the songs were procured by different artists/friends. Honestly, it just feels like one long beautiful track. I second the requirement of good headphones because the bass on this album is amazing and the way he snakes through different genre from dub to reggae to ennio morriconesqe soundscapes is truly genius. I think your words have adequately captured how I feel about this album. I actually wanna buy this album because the album version comes with an extra disc that contains all the original tracks.
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Indeed, the second disc is called “Ingredients” and I can’t wait to hear it. Mine should be coming soon, along with Miller’s Trop of Cancer and then hopefully soooooon a (literally) hairy copy of Eating Us.
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ahh feel free to link me a copy of “Ingredients” when you receive your copy. I am somehow against ordering music online (dont ask me why) and I cant find a copy of uproot at my independent record store.
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i feel you; i’m against the concept of it too – i love the feeling of picking up an album at the store and marveling at the artwork and just generally fondling the thing until i decide to buy. BUT i live in a musically devoid area and must drive at a minimum 1 hour to get to an independent record store, and it’s not like they’ve always got everything. I do remember one time the smarmy guy @ the counter nodded and said, out loud “ohh, this changes everything” when ringing my cds up. i guessed that i wasn’t hipster-looking enough to appear as if i were shopping for good music. i just laughed and asked him if that meant a discount?
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You heard of maga bo?
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I have not! *goes to look up*
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He’s a contemporary/friend of Rupture. (I know I saw a video of him interviewing rupture on the new york subway)
Basically imagine if rupture produced a hip-hop album.
http://rs525.rapidshare.com/files/173673316/SOOT15_Maga_Bo-Archipelagoes_2008_320.part1.rar
http://rs531.rapidshare.com/files/173673698/SOOT15_Maga_Bo-Archipelagoes_2008_320.part2.rar
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seriously, thank you. i love it. also there’s a password on those files but i found it by backtracking through google. and who is this? from last.fm?
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Didn’t realize there was a password, sorry.
Yeah I’m from last.fm, iacus123
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ok i thought i recognized the name :] and yeah no problem, i figure those things out. i just wish i remembered what it was now – that album’s great so I’m definitely going to give it a write-up.
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That is awesome! Much thanks.
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don’t forget to check out Nettle, dj /rupture’s band prior to branching out to a solo project.
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