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Brooklyn-based hiphop producer Drake has previously collaborated with Lowco Labs video artist Loboy on Dopelotus' D1G1T4L Gr4ff Butt3r DVD released late last year, and Artificial Fix Danger represents his debut artist album for the label. With a wistful, contemplative trajectory somewhere between Pedestrian's synth-edged boom-bap beats and Blockhead's homespun samplestrewn approach, Artificial Fix Danger frequently conjures an atmosphere similar to walking through a strange city at night, with poignant soul-tinged keys and skittering beats giving way to eerie dubbed out samples of children on one of this album's most slow-burning moments Dead Perspective.
It's not a completely MC-free experience however, with the likes of Aesop Rock, Bisc One and Life Long making strong contributions here that merge cohesively with Drake's beats rather than overshadowing the instrumentals on offer here. A stirring nocturnal soundtrack from a producer definitely worth keeping tabs on.
-Chris Downton