While evoking the unique worldview of early-1990s Memphis rap—with its lo-fi, dark, and horrorcore-esque atmosphere that served as the origin of today’s trap and funk—it also uniquely blends elements of New Age, ambient, Krautrock, experimental music, and avant-garde collage-like musical elements into a unique hybrid. Constructed with words that feel less like rap and more like a recitation? Poetry? Chanting? Soliloquy?—Cities Aviv’s musical world may well be one of a kind.
Since his previous works have almost exclusively been released on his own label, D.O.T. Audio Arts, this release on Black Truffle Records—run by Oren Ambarchi—is extremely rare and noteworthy. It is a highly polished conceptual album, featuring a total of 16 tracks. (Original Japanese text by COMPUMA)