DJ/Producer Otis Jackson aka Madlib refuses to stay in one lane. His roots in hip-hop are firm and his deep dive into jazz and Brazilian music has elevated him well beyond your average beat maker. With his latest release “Sound Ancestors” he hands over hundreds of beats to Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet. Hebden hand picks and re-masters some of the beat conductoer’s unreleased gems and knocks it out of the park. “Road Of The Lonely Ones” is a prime example. Madlib weaves together a classic 70s soul vocal sample over a drum snare beat. “Dirtknock” is vintage neck snapping hip-hop. “Duumbiyay” is another testament to the master of his craft. The tune features what started as acapella of children singing and culminates with spiritual jazz rhythms and live instrumentation woven together. Hebden arranges the entire disc with a nice flow so you’re treated to one prime cut after another. With hundreds of tracks in his posession here’s hoping another album like this one will be on the way.
