ALBUM REVIEW: Hi-Hat Club Vol. 6 – Haus & Garten

In the sixth instalment of Melting Pot Music’s Hi-Hat Club releases, the award winning turntablist turned producer DJ Adlib brings the series back to its roots in Cologne, Germany with Haus & Garten.

DJ Adlib - Enter

“Enter” powers up and introduces you to the vibe of this album.  Strong drums, synthesizers and prominent bass are the main ingredients throughout and DJ Adlib utilises them well to create his own style.  In fact the album, like previous volumes, revels and finds many of its strengths in the varied, liberal sounds employed which mean the tracks are far from clear cut hip-hop beats.

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DJ Adlib

There’s a whole host of effects and electronic chirping that fill a lot of space on the album and for some this may be enough to put you off repeat listens, but for those who enjoy that sound then it’s sure to be a treat.

DJ Adlib - Lorwdamercy

The heaviest dose of this perhaps comes with “Alex Harvey” and “Lorwdamercy” half-way through the album, the latter weaving a Mos Def vocal through some haunting synths that sound fit for a scary level on an 8-bit video game - and I mean that in a good way!  However Haus & Garten still has its share of more soulful tracks, like “Electric Cars” or my personal favourite “Ice Cold”...

DJ Adlib - Ice Cold

“Uschi” exists as an enigma between what else is presented on the album.  Featuring co-production from Hubert Daviz and Adi Dick, it almost sounds like something you might come across while tuning randomly through the radio late at night.  Given this diversity of sounds and moods on the album, it does a good job of balancing it all out in equal proportion.  However track transitions are at times very contrasting, which may work for some listeners but others could find the switches too sharp to sufficiently appreciate either vibe, especially those who prefer to listen to an album in its entirety without having to shuffle and skip.

Speaking of skipping, after half a dozen plays so far I only found myself passing on the one track regularly; “Bang It Out” featuring Frank Nitt, purely out of personal taste.  The albums lyrical roster is otherwise impressive; whether it’s Black Spade and The Primeridian providing extended metaphors on “Wine” or Planet Asia bringing his signature gritty lexicon on “Streets”.  However for me the show is well and truly stolen by Declaime on the final track “Been Around The World” as he provides reflective lyricism over some mesmerising production; I would gladly welcome an entire album by these two on this level.

DJ Adlib ft. Declaime - Been Around The World

Word Is Bond Rating
Lyrics
Used sparingly and generally to good effect
Production
Diverse and with lots of personality
Originality
A fresh break from more traditional sounding hip-hop
Replayability
Very little to skip but some may find the structure disruptive

Overall
A great introduction to those new to DJ Adlib, and a solid addition to the Hi-Hat Club series

PURCHASE "Hi-Hat Club Vol. 6 - Haus & Garten" HERE (Releases January 20th)

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