The party that Echoes

In the world of hip-hop and rap, Edan is an artist that easily stands apart from his contemporaries.

The genre’s current musical landscape is dominated by banging synth beats. While designed for clubs and showing off car stereos, this style separates from its roots and lacks cleverness and originality.

But Edan succeeds in not only paying tribute to hip-hop’s original sound, but he also incorporates different styles such as 1960s psychedelic beats into his music.

His 2005 release ‘Beauty and the Beat’ succeeded wonderfully in doing this, creating one of the most interesting and creative hip-hop albums of the year.

Now, Edan is back with his first album in four years, and his effort is in no way disappointing.

‘Echo Party’ deceptively starts with a funk beat that would sound typical of a 1980s hip-hop release before exploding into a series of musical twists and turns that take the listener on a thrill ride.

Rather than a series of individual songs, the album plays as one continuous track, which is a nice touch. Alternating between danceable and chaotic, it often comes across as a mix of artists King Tubby, Aphex Twin and Grandmaster Flash.

Edan’s talent as a DJ and producer is undeniable. He understands the importance of establishing a relentless groove and uses it as a launch pad for new ideas. The quirkiness and experimentalism of ‘Echo Party’ has its charm, but to call it a full masterpiece would be a stretch.

The album is more of a mixtape than anything else, containing no emceeing from Edan himself. While his talents as a producer and DJ alone are enough to create satisfying work, fans of his previous albums will miss his intricate rhymes.

Luckily, his persona still manages to pull through. The album lacks the feeling of complete work, but it’s still an interesting listen.