Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer
Gonjasufi: A Sufi And A Killer
Also In The News
|
By Michael Younger. |  |
Thursday, 11, Mar 2010 02:33
Warp, out now.
What's it all about?
Probably the most varied record you'll hear this year. This is the debut release from Gonjasufi and charts a quick rise to fame after being picked up by Warp Records after a long time working the circuit in his native San Diego. It follows the release of two singles - Ancestors and Kowboyz&Indians, respectively.
Who's it by?
Gonjasufi, known to his parents as Sumach Ecks, seems nothing short of a shady character. It's evidenced everywhere you look, from the strange and trippy CD covers and websites to any head shots you can find, which portray him as quite bedraggled. Despite that, Warp clearly has a lot of faith in the guy - his online presence shows plenty of his personality that the artist and the record label are happy to exploit.
Other than that, who knows? One thing can be guaranteed: he'll be much more of a public figure soon.
What the others say
"There are 'real Indians' on the mental Bollywood fusion Kowboyz & Indians, while SuzieQ sounds like the Stooges; all the while, Gonjasufi raps, mutters, exclaims and croons, a 21st-century mystic in the wilderness. Compelling." - Guardian
"Out of time and off its head, A Sufi And A Killer is a challenge - but it's a mad, mystical hip-hop trip worth taking." - Metro
So is it any good?
You start out by questioning what the hell is going on, before being scared, shocked, amazed, relaxed, tripped out, seduced and unnerved. Not necessarily in that order. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the world of Gonjasufi: one which only he will ever fully understand.
Opening track (Bharatanatyam) is just wailing of an undisclosed ethnic description, similar to the sounds that Kippi Kaninus weaves into the song Yfirskin. It definitely sounds Middle-Eastern; perhaps it plays on societal fears of some sort. Either way, it's not comfortable.
From there, it kinda gathers pace slowly. Kobwebz is a relaxed affair playing heavily on a sound that wouldn't be out of place on K-Jah from Grand Theft Auto III; a heady mix of hip-hop and dub. Ancestors is much the same, relying on ambient and unnerving samples as well as dominating, warped tunes which are later usurped by Gonjasufi's lyrical content.
And then it all changes. Massively. You soon realise that Gonjasufi not only has several strings to his bow, but he also has a truckload of bows. Sheep, one of the standout tracks on the album, shows that he has a softer side, interlocking all kinds of samples over a quality of sound which ages it to a time where this music would never exist. He pulls it off. My god, he's done it.
She Gone, which descends into a Tom Waits-style vocal breakdown, gives his work more of a mainstream swing element and again extends his singing abilities; it's still Gonjasufi, though.
To pull apart every track would take weeks, but it's worth checking out single Kowboyz&Indians, a staccato Bollywood-esque effort which punches and kisses you at the same time. So many diverse elements of music fuse together to create a truly unique sound.
Broodiness pours over the listener during Duet, Klowds sounds like a song from Sesame Street gone wrong (but oh so right), Ageing's distorted sampling is simple and utterly effective, and I've Given sounds like incidental music from Dougal and the Blue Cat, the original Magic Roundabout film from the 70s.
Warp have again pulled another remarkable signing out of the bag. He's perfect for the label and embodied everything they're looking for, maintaining the deeper electro roots and mixing it with rap, rock, easy listening, bhangra, Latin and pretty much anything you may care for.
It's an experience that isn't fully enjoyable, at the same time. Some songs are overpowering and annoying. Still, it's clear that this is a full album; it's not full of filler tracks, just things to set the mood or work in and around other tracks, which largely make up the body of the offering (go by track length if you want the better tunes, then). There's 19 tracks that add up to about an hour, so the cost is matched with creativity.
All-in-all? Gonjasufi is brilliantly unique and wins at life as a result of his ambition. An excellent debut effort.
9/10
Matt Gardner