Madlib channels a deep, intertwining lineage of Black music through Sound Ancestors like folklore oration, storytelling with the sorcery of a beatmaker who knows how to make an instrumental really sing.
Sound Ancestors is a realisation of what the Madlib and Hebden are capable of in tandem. It’s bold, different, and takes the genre of instrumental hip hop to the next level.
Sound Ancestors isn’t anything new from Madlib, but it only further cements his status as one of the great producers, artists, and minds in hip-hop.
The wildly inventive rapper-producer teams up with electronic musician Four Tet to create an album that lives in the space between the past and the future.
Nourishing batch of beat collages from the leftfield hip-hop auteur, assisted here by Kieran ‘Four Tet’ Hebden.
Whilst there are less immediate areas of the tracklist, there is a good proportion of showstoppers and every track has its place in the overall effort. This is an LP that builds, getting better the longer it goes on.
It sounds recognizably like both Madlib and Four Tet while taking their music into directions where neither artist has ventured before, and its highlights are life-affirming.
Sound Ancestors is a mixed bag if ever there was one. It's funky, it's psychedelic, it's jazzy, dirty, clean, and mean. It's Madlib.
Sound Ancestors trails off into averageness by Madlib standards, which is to say it never stops being above average in general.
Madlib is known for his psychedelic, positively weird concoctions, and he delivers a few on Sound Ancestors.
madlib’s collaboration with four tet’s kieran hebden does not disappoint.
even in 2021, madlib is one of the best producers out there. his latest album is full of organized instrumentals and ingenious results.
throughout ‘sound ancestors’, many vibes are present. this foray is less into the hip-hop culture and more working toward a fusion of soul, funk, jazz, and electronic. there’s spanish guitar on “latino negro”, jamaican influence on “theme ... read more
This could have been a classic...but it's still an enjoyable release.
Madlib is one of my favorite producers, and I really liked the singles for this album, so I had high expectations. And while I do enjoy this quite a bit, it didn’t reach its full potential for me.
For what it is, it’s actually really well executed and sounds great. Madlib has some great instrumentals on here and some really cool ideas overall. But unlike my favorite instrumental records, it doesn’t ... read more
Madlib made these beats????? Really don't sound like it.
Top 5 Tracks: The New Normal (Best), Chino, Hang Out (Phone Off), The Call, Riddim Chant
1 | There Is No Time (Prelude) 1:16 | 67 |
2 | The Call 2:05 | 76 |
3 | Theme De Crabtree 2:16 | 72 |
4 | Road of the Lonely Ones 3:38 | 81 |
5 | Loose Goose 2:21 | 72 |
6 | Dirtknock 2:14 | 74 |
7 | Hopprock 3:27 | 73 |
8 | Riddim Chant 1:58 | 69 |
9 | Sound Ancestors 2:50 | 68 |
10 | One For Quartabê / Right Now 2:42 | 71 |
11 | Hang Out (Phone Off) 2:15 | 67 |
12 | Two for 2 - For Dilla 2:51 | 72 |
13 | Latino Negro 3:36 | 65 |
14 | The New Normal 2:28 | 70 |
15 | Chino 1:57 | 69 |
16 | Duumbiyay 3:13 | 67 |
#3 | / | SPIN |
#3 | / | The Vinyl Factory |
#5 | / | Vulture |
#7 | / | Magnetic |
#9 | / | Norman Records |
#9 | / | Passion of the Weiss |
#9 | / | Record Collector |
#10 | / | Rough Trade (UK) |
#17 | / | A.V. Club |
#18 | / | What's Good |