DMX
Krew: RAM Expansion (Breakin/Last Known Trajectory)
Ed
DMX is back with yet another installment of his personal brand of
electronic funk. RAM Expansion is a diversion from his more melodic
and lush recent albums and instead is a headlong throwback into
vintage mid-90s Aphex Twin. In fact these feel not only like they
draw inspiration from Richard D. James’ early tracks, but may even be
actually constructed out of his original source sounds. Whatever the
origins, it’s interesting to hear such a left turn from the smoother
vibe of Reith Trax and Shape-Shifting Shaman into this rawer
nostalgia.
[TRAJECTORY 1016] DMX Krew – Ram Expansion from Junky Videoplasm on Vimeo.
The title cut has a familiar chunky crunch to it,
bordering on a discordant electro anthem. Those drum tracks are
unmistakably similar to vintage Aphex, but there’s plenty of DMX
infused in these all the same. “Quantum Computer” has an icy cool
that wouldn’t be out of place on his Wave Funk album, for instance.
But in the latter half of RAM Expansion, Ed throws down some full on
bangers like “Division by Zero,” a tribute to the noisiest
Caustic Window tributes if ever I heard one, and “Rubout,” with its
welcome bridge within an otherwise pummeling track. “Bad Vibes”
brings it all back to the start, recalling the vintage braindance
records of early Rephlex, where Ed got his start. It’s a cool
sidestep into the past with such authenticity that it’s irresistible.
It’s great to hear yet another side of DMX Krew’s vast and ongoing
catalogue, highly recommended for fans of early IDM and leftfield
dance music.
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