Race to the Bottom

The soi-disant mugician brings more global communication in this worldly-wise follow up to his self-released debut, Zombeats. Though the creaking signage and watery vocal that opens Asmar's sophomore album slots right into place at new label Mush, having much in common with hip-hop corrupters Dose One and Boom Bip, it is subsonic rumbles of dub bass rather than quick-witted lyrics that make up the keystones to this particular body of work. As likely to feature a distant cry of a muezzin as it is the tolling of high noon in a dusty Western, Asmar is well-versed in the dark arts of sonic collusion, forever twisting samples, clips of lyrics, and atmospherics to suit his own ends and promoting harmony in elements that, in other hands, would be both distant and disparate. The result is one of the more easily accessed albums to have graced the Dirty Loop imprint to date and, respectively, comes heartily recommended.