DJ Signify

I’ve got a question for you, yes you reader.. whoever you are. What’s a record that you’ve really warmed up to this year? And why? Is it because it evokes something in yourself or is it just a lot of fun? (Note: You don’t have to answer those questions, I’d just like to hear it.)

 One record that’s stuck with me throughout the year is DJ Signify’s “Of Cities”, a fairly well rounded and mostly instrumental hip-hop album that evokes the feeling of darkness and dread like few records of it’s genre are capable of doing. The album’s opening track is telling of what’s inside, it’s base beat seems to cause loneliness, the album as a person.. a man walking through some city all night, anxiety around every corner.

 Points:

 I like how well each track runs into the next, at first the copious amounts of interludes annoyed me, now I realize that those intros serve as a sort of punctuation, each segueing the next song’s tone in, and putting a period on the previous one. It’s a thoughtful gesture on DJ Signify’s part and it makes the album hard to separate as an album. This isn’t one for singles, this is meant to be played as a whole record. I admire it’s ambition and it’s ability to transport a listener to a different state of mind.

 It’s not hard to evoke the night in music, it is hard however to make that vision of night and it’s various phases consistent with each other. Most albums don’t even try to do so, but Dj Signify seems to want us to be stuck with his music at night, each street light is dim, each corner filled with trash. It’s powerful, those kind of feelings, but it has a sway that I find irresistible. The album seems to weave it’s way through a journey that’s undefined, yet clear. Each listen has brought me closer to the conclusion that this is indeed, the album of the year. Now, I’ve said that few times this year, but I don’t know.. it’s been a great year for music and I’ve been letting this simmer for a while. I feel confident calling this one of the most powerful listening experiences of the year.

 Ultimately, this isn’t an album you’ll always be in the mood for, but it strikes it’s mood with an immaculately sharp edge, “Of Cities” is an album that emotes and doesn’t feel too concerned about what you think of it. It’s concerns lie within how it can grab you. The two vocal tracks with Aesop Rock break the flow of the album a bit, but really, they do work on the album, both fit the mood and tone, ‘Low Tide’ is one of his darkest tracks in a long time.

 “Of Cites” is ultimately most like a trip through a lonely night, from sundown (‘The Sickness’) in all it’s bleak glory to the slightly hopeful but nonetheless lonely closing track (‘Hold me, Don’t Touch me’) seem to signal the beginning and end of the night, and the end of a very rewarding journey for both the artist and the listener.