Considered by many as one of the most underrated hip hop artists available today, New Jersey duo Dälek (pronounced Die-a-lek) are among the very few artists which I would feel comfortable labeling a focused listen as an "experience" rather than merely a good listen. While Dälek's lyrics and messages are very political, their music seems to back up those messages with as much doom, gloom and stylistic darkness as possible while still holding a strong sense of musical creativity. This is the kind of darkness that delves deep down and stays with you. It's also as serious and profound as music gets -- all the way to the end. That alone sets it aside from almost every other hip hop artist.

    Last week I drove down to the record shop to pick up their new album, "Gutter Tactics". I didn't put it in my CD player on the way home. I was saving it. I got home, turned the lights down low, put my headphones on and proceeded to listen to the entire album without any distractions whatsoever... amazing. With no other artist do I recall having heard so many different elements working together to form one solid sound. It's as if other hip hop music is a gust of wind blowing around and between buildings, usually at the same speed, until it's surroundings finally absorb all of its energy and eventually it just dies out. In contrast, Dälek is a hurricane. One that comes as a giant wall of wind, rain, hail, debris, whatever. One that will leave its surroundings permanently altered. As a whole it can move at different speeds but details keep shifting and changing constantly. And when it slows down, there's always an enormous amount of density. Even at it's weakest state, it's still a hurricane.

    Now, don't get me wrong. I love all kinds of hip hop. Anything with real poetic value, creativity, and a solid structure. But there is a substantial gap between anything I have ever heard and Dälek. It could be the long droning chords progressing in the background that seem to come from the back of your mind rather than the headphones you're wearing. Or it might be the whole slew of instrumentation thrown into every song that layers each verse and each hook. Maybe it's that initial bass line that pulls you into the song and holds you there. Another possibility is the deep resonating tone of MC Dälek's voice that stays just above the fascinating combination of all these wonderfully dark and haunting melodies and sounds. Actually... I think it's all of that.

    Dälek has released four full length albums and has been releasing music for over a decade. But it wasn't until their third album release, "Abandoned Language", that they truly found their sound. While their earlier releases include some tracks of similar quality, others seem to be a little forced and sometimes out of control. They lack consistency and many of the dark and haunting elements are somewhat scattered. The songs don't always seem to hold together. "Abandoned Language" contains all of the same ideas but ultimately fits together in a more melodic and structural way. The strength and intensity is presented not from the strain in his voice or the loud and intimidating background noise but from thoughtful lyrics and an incredibly dramatic overall sound. "Gutter Tactics" is, in many ways, a follow-up to "Abandoned Language", keeping the same measured darkness mixed with powerful political themes.

    The album starts with the voice of Reverend Jeremy Wright speaking about terrorism for which this country is responsible for; terrorism from the very start. And then comes the beat. The perfect back-up to convey Wright's direct, commanding speech. Without delay, we are plunged right into the first song, "No Question". The first two tracks, along with several others, provide that familiar droning, warping noise and grinding guitar distortion that all Dälek fans are familiar with. At no point during any of these songs are we given a break. Not from the disorienting mult-dimensional stack of sounds. Not from the fast and solid beat that demands your attention. The fourth track on the album, "Who Medgar Evers Was...", is the first track that seemed to dissolve any concepts of outside reality. The song begins with electric guitar distortions you might expect before some local punk show. Then the beat kicks in but sorta lingers in the background until MC Dälek's scarily deep voice seems to make the beat echo and contort. As the song progresses, the tempo perpetually slows. This becomes more apparent when we are left to float among a long instrumental hiatus followed by the hook of the song again but this time in a slowed, creeping state of emphasis. We are re-introduced to Dälek's beautifully melodic and sedate style on "A Collection of Miserable Thoughts Laced With Wit" as well as "We Lost Sight", two tracks that successfully combine their musical use of noise and dark, menacing sounds with smooth melodies and lilting beats ultimately creating a sound that provides as much power as it does universal entertainment and innovative creativity.

    Dälek isn't for everyone, in fact their music is so much on the experimental side that the average listener would probably get turned off after the first song. But if you are looking for something that bends the mind and smashes directly through the very core of what we know music to be, all while maintaining a solid hip hop beat with strong lyricism in place, Dälek is indeed your ticket.

Labels: music