Zach Burger is a sophomore audio telecommunications major and writes ‘The Drop’ for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Zach at zaburger@bsu.edu.
Cuing up the album-opener from Ghost Mutt, my first impression was that the DJ/producer was poorly recommended to me. About 30 seconds into the first track, simply put, I thought his chopping and screwing was just a bit too screwy – admittedly, I jumped the gun. His prodigious use of the classic stutter effect proved to be an asset.
The truth is that Ghost Mutt's new aggregate of an album, "Donky Pitch Collection," is one of the best examples of chopping and screwing I've heard; aside, the arrangements flow effortlessly, the production is inspired by genres and eras of all kinds, and the melodies are soulful with a bitter-sweetness matched only by the bluesiest, Otis Redding.
Brighton-based Ghost Mutt has been cited as using a deconstructionist approach to his work as an artist. Very postmodern, right? He frankensteins dubstep wub-wubs with upbeat soul basslines, modern pop references with classic games and the general tightness of EDM with the grooves you get in the hazy sound collages of Brad Nowell's old-school dubs.
The bass is thumpy, housy, then it turns subdued and mellow. The melodies range from soothing to incessant. The characteristic stutters make your ears feel like the back of your throat when you swallow Pop Rocks.
While I'll say it's unlike anything you've heard, I'd probably be just as right saying you've heard a portion of it already, albeit not since childhood.
As could be expected from a genre reminiscent of the proverbial "copy and paste," the songs are in fact largely composites of old game sound effects and music from titles like "Super Mario" and "Donkey Kong Country" (“Thoroughbred”) straight out of their double-digit-bitrate nostalgia. There's a few little somethings in there for old-school videogame users, whether your GameBoy was colored, your Nintendo 64-bit.
By the same token, even Kendrick Lamar makes an appearance on the album, something most recognize from, say, the line “I can feel your energy from two planets away.” Now, if you thought the song just wasn't ballad enough, you're in luck. Imagine Gloria Estefan with helium voice and Simon the chipmunk singing it as a duet, then name it “Bitch Don't.” That's on the album as well.
I listened to this song the most out of the lot; after the regimented three-times-through, I probably pulled it up another three to show friends and listen again. Definite strong point.
Oh, and also: extra "finding Waldo" points to those who hear the Kendrick samples on tracks earlier in the album. Ghost Mutt set a precedent of lifting samples, not just from the source, but from other tracks on the album as well, making it an even more rewarding listening experience.
9/10Clocked at just a second over 54 minutes, the album manages to span three decades and more styles than can be found in the typical issue of "Vogue" in less than an hour. Consider the album coming to you highly recommended: get your paws on a copy or stream it free at Bandcamp.
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