El Michels Affair, led by BIG CROWN head Leon Michels, backs him up here, so the deep, heavy rhythm section work is guaranteed. It opens with "7th Heaven" (sample_1), whose trippy mixing gives you goosebumps, and of course includes the advance singles "Footwork" (sample_2), a Latin-inspired jazz dancer, and "Morning Glory." The B-side, which grows more cinematic and lyrical as it goes, pulls you right in. The dramatic sequencing feels like a direct packaging of the broad perspective he's gained from years of witnessing the New York scene, from hip-hop to soul to jazz. Lovely stuff. (Original Japanese text by AYAM)