Hood Reishi is a genre defining album produced entirely by
Ruckazoid. He’s released music on Kanye West’s G.O.O.D music
label with Hudson Mohawke, and albums with J-Dilla, Dj Shadow,
a #1 iTunes single with Breakbot, and most recently featured on
Machinedrum’s Human Energy as a vocalist.
Ruckazoid is known to raise the bar and his new Hood Reishi
moniker is no different. The concept of this album was to use analog
equipment from the past to create a new sound for today. Electricity
runs through each beastly machine to produce each sound, with
drums from a real TR-808 and other various analog drum devices
connected to create the ultimate boombox. Since the recordings are
analog, the album is able to push the sonic limits, making you feel
like your system is about to explode, without destroying your ears.
It’s a sound that must be experienced, and a sound that cannot
be produced with software. The process is similar to shooting on
film, with each track composed from captured performance. Using
analog gear to create this sound is no easy task, but when achieved,
nothing sounds comparable.
The album starts off with arabic sounding bells from the vintage
Roland Super JX, then the chorus drops the mission statement:
“Soundboy run better put on ya sneakers, when you play this sound
it fi blow out ya speakers, kill all dem woofers, kill all dem tweeters,
me no stress me just smoke on da reefer yeah, pushing that dope
like a dealer, I got the sound that fi wake up the sleeper”
The voice then changes when the verse comes in, and the listener’s
face is usually 100% mashed at this point. From there it’s non-stop
bass designed to keep you engaged like a dog hearing a new sound
for the first time, head tilted and all. It’s THE NEW SOUND, with just
enough vocals to keep you locked in, but not too many vocals, as this
album is really all about the sounds. If you’re looking to hear the next
level in bass music, this is for you.
If you’re a DJ ready to soundclash, this record will shut the whole
thing down.
| 1 | DOE |
| 2 | SNDBWYKLR |
| 3 | RUN DI NATION |
| 4 | I DO EVERYTHING |
| 5 | HIGH AF |
| 6 | OH NO, I SWEAR TO GOD |
| 7 | AQUARIUS FLOW |
