ALBUM OF THE DAY
Andres, “Andres IV”
By Phillip Mlynar · November 27, 2019

The fourth release in Detroit-based DJ and producer Andres’s expansive series of self-titled albums—which kicked off in 2003 with Andresis a soulful synthesis of his revered house and hip-hop roots. Released on Moodymann‘s Mahogani Music label, the 18 track project plays out like a consummately curated DJ set, with Andres masterfully shifting tempos and moods as the album builds up and takes shape. After launching with the polyrhythmic Afrobeat-inspired “Back In The Old Times,” Andres spins into techno territory via the moody synth-fueled “Learn 2 Love (Yoruba Love Dub),” channels cocksure P-Funk swagger on the bass-swamped “Waist Deep,” and loops a sultry jazz-influenced piano motif into the mix on “Jungle Pain.”

Nodding to Andres’s time as the DJ for iconic Detroit rap crew Slum Village—back when he rolled with the moniker DJ Dez—on select occasions the album breaks out of a four-to-the-floor basis and heads into a melodic hip-hop zone. The boxy kicks and repeated soul vocal refrain herald the first switch on “What’s Ur Name Again,” before Andres strikes the album’s sweetest and most emotive moment with “Illuminate,” where a combination of crackling drums and honeyed strings sound like he’s engaging in a spiritual conversation with his dearly departed old friend and fellow producer J Dilla.

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