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Fruitonica · 06-01-2009, 04:54 AM

Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus

Rawkus Records - 1997

This is the sound of resurrecting Wu-Tang in 2099, putting them in a room in New York City with four small windows, a Salvador Dali hung on the wall, a drum machine in the centre and letting them watch the end of the world.

A spaceship drops by, but the Martians only stay long enough to release their super-virus and are on their way. For the first couple of days nothing seems too unnatural, but then the cars and corpses start piling up in the streets, the night time cityscape is loosing its sparkle and people start clawing at the windows. Wu-tang are larger than life, but underneath the Ghostface and the Method, they're still human and it doesn't take long for them to go a little mad. After a while there's only three left, with a pile of skeletons in the fourth corner. So there's nothing left for them to do, except start making music.

At its core, Funcrusher Plus is still battle rap, focussed on wordplay, hyperviolence and ego, but a whole new breed. EL-P, Big Juss and Mr Len, spin and twist their bizzare metaphors and similes over themselves, coming at you from odd angles and extending them far past the conventions of the genre.

Drink to that pick up raps, intoxicating
Got your craving my living proof, mixture of speech and wine
To' up from just the flow but pass the liquor it's over
Henny dead even when twisted I get open like Venetian blinds
Company Flow, the fire in which you burn slow

The lyrical density is imposing, these abstract lines are thrown at you relentlessly, tumbling over each other so quickly it can be impossible to follow, even after years of listening. Every listen will yield something new, depending on where your concentration buckles under the weight it all.
The rapping is delivered low key and the rhythm of verse is just as dense to unpack as its lyrical content. Rhyme schemes are dazzingly complex and the verbosity of the lines will often squeeze in an almost uncomfortable number of syllables, with little vocal emphasis placed on punchlines.

But the ultimate reason this record has been elevated to it's classic status is EL-P's production, the beats are aggressively sharp and off-kilter, surrounded by droning melodic textures and a collage of samples that create a hypnotic, psychedelic undertone to the apocalypse brewing. It is much sparser than his later work, with more use of negative space and less timbral depth. Of all the tracks, the one that perfects this aesthetic is The Fire in Which you Burn, which opens with its punishing, schizophrenic beat and manic vinyl scratching, the monotonous flow begins to unfold over the top and then a vaguely eastern guitar begins to swirl in the background.

'Independent as fuck.'

06-01-2009, 04:54 AM	#2 (permalink)
Fruitonica Pale and Wan Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Aus Posts: 917	Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus Rawkus Records - 1997 This is the sound of resurrecting Wu-Tang in 2099, putting them in a room in New York City with four small windows, a Salvador Dali hung on the wall, a drum machine in the centre and letting them watch the end of the world. A spaceship drops by, but the Martians only stay long enough to release their super-virus and are on their way. For the first couple of days nothing seems too unnatural, but then the cars and corpses start piling up in the streets, the night time cityscape is loosing its sparkle and people start clawing at the windows. Wu-tang are larger than life, but underneath the Ghostface and the Method, they're still human and it doesn't take long for them to go a little mad. After a while there's only three left, with a pile of skeletons in the fourth corner. So there's nothing left for them to do, except start making music. At its core, Funcrusher Plus is still battle rap, focussed on wordplay, hyperviolence and ego, but a whole new breed. EL-P, Big Juss and Mr Len, spin and twist their bizzare metaphors and similes over themselves, coming at you from odd angles and extending them far past the conventions of the genre. Drink to that pick up raps, intoxicating Got your craving my living proof, mixture of speech and wine To' up from just the flow but pass the liquor it's over Henny dead even when twisted I get open like Venetian blinds Company Flow, the fire in which you burn slow The lyrical density is imposing, these abstract lines are thrown at you relentlessly, tumbling over each other so quickly it can be impossible to follow, even after years of listening. Every listen will yield something new, depending on where your concentration buckles under the weight it all. The rapping is delivered low key and the rhythm of verse is just as dense to unpack as its lyrical content. Rhyme schemes are dazzingly complex and the verbosity of the lines will often squeeze in an almost uncomfortable number of syllables, with little vocal emphasis placed on punchlines. But the ultimate reason this record has been elevated to it's classic status is EL-P's production, the beats are aggressively sharp and off-kilter, surrounded by droning melodic textures and a collage of samples that create a hypnotic, psychedelic undertone to the apocalypse brewing. It is much sparser than his later work, with more use of negative space and less timbral depth. Of all the tracks, the one that perfects this aesthetic is The Fire in Which you Burn, which opens with its punishing, schizophrenic beat and manic vinyl scratching, the monotonous flow begins to unfold over the top and then a vaguely eastern guitar begins to swirl in the background. 'Independent as fuck.' Last edited by Fruitonica; 06-02-2009 at 02:07 AM.