Radio - AM/FM

by David Jeffries With AM/FM, avant hip-hop producer Exile expands upon his album Radio with remixes, reworks, and some new works based on the 2009 effort. The effect is that of driving far away from the original album’s conceptual radio station, far enough that the sound is equal parts static and station as other frequencies begin to bleed through. Names like Alchemist, Clutchy Hopkins, Blu, and Free the Robots are responsible for the high-caliber interference, but the music remains strange, fascinating, and often unsettling, which is to say, it remains identifiably Exile. You can hear the influence of dubstep and jungle in the lo-fi rumble that dominates many tracks, along with Space Invaders bleeps and vocodered robot vocals that suggest the man is enamored with electro. Between the cuts, the sound of a radio dial scanning ties it all together and the album plays out like any well-built mix should, influencing listeners to take the full journey whenever they return. Still, if you want highlights, check the massive version of “Population Control” where Living Legends MCs Grouch and Eligh take it to another level, or maybe DJ Day’s remix of “In Love,” which features three dreamy layers of jazz fusion.